Twisted Fate
by xDaughterOfDeathex
Summary: A girl of the shadows emerges as a world-class detective. A girl going by the name of K. She, along with L, have to scramble to find the pieces to complete the Kira case. A girl. A boy. Two detectives. One case. Lifetime friends, reunited. Finished on August 12, 2016
1. AN

Okay I know that these notes are annoying, but I didn't know where to put this. But this is my take on how the Death Note series should have played out. I've added one original character (who reoccurs throughout the series). Because I wrote this before I posted anything, I should be posting about every weekish, and if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask, I will answer most questions unless they get to weird, or that I don't feel like answering because it ruins something. I take this story line very far off the original one, and yes, to all the people who know me IRL, my OC is based off of me. I don't know how many people will actually read this but if you did, great, I hope you like it. If you don't, tell me, I like to know things. Don't sugarcoat it, that kind of stuff annoys me. If anyone wanted to know, this thing was spawned off of L's death. I do NOT own Death Note (I wish I did) I just own my OC, and the altered story line. I do ask those who know me and know details about this story (my OC's real name, how it ends, etc) to not reveal important details. I would prefer to do so on my own account. So I hope you enjoy my random story, so Au Revoir and stuff.


	2. Prologue

The woman's long black hair swept across her face as she turned towards her husband. Behind her was a small bundle of pink blankets left on the doorstep of some institution. Normally, one would have remorse when they abandoned a newborn, yet her face was fixed and determined. She got into her black sports car and drove away, leaving the young one to fend for herself. The door opened behind the girl, and a sigh escaped the woman's lip. _Yet another child whose parents left them at this orphanage._ The little girl, maybe about two months old, had no birth certificate on her, at least to her knowledge. The woman brought her inside, bringing her to the main office.

"Who is this?" The man behind the desk asked.

"I don't know, someone just left her on the doorstep." The woman confessed..

"What is that, the fifth one this month?"

"I guess."

"What's her name?"

"We don't know, let's just call her Chikara, for the strength she will need throughout her life."

"Sounds good to me.."

Now that the girl was older, it became known that she was incredulously smart, her IQ surpassed everyone at the orphanage, and other children started to resent her. She was able to ace any test without studying and was able to beat anyone at mind games. Because of that, she started to dumb herself down to stop people from picking on her. But at that moment, she was taking a timed test. Looking down on the paper, she read: I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but can't go outside, What am I?

 _Easy_ She thought as she scrawled down the words: A keyboard. _Next._

We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size.

 _Tch. That one is something I know too well. Words._

When was 99 more than 100?

 _Meh. A microwave. Get me out of here. Huh. Last one._

Many have heard me, but none have seen me, and I will not speak back unless spoken to.

 _An echo. Great. I can get out of here._ She stood up, and walked out, only to realize that only five seconds have passed. _Ughh. There goes my plan to be dumb. Great._

"Hey! Look at what crawled out of the dumpster." A boy laughed pointing at her.

"Here we go again." She sighed.

"So, Chikara, how does it feel, being the most hated person in the world?" The boy continued, running up to her and pretending to hold a microphone.

She brushed them off. _God. Six-year olds are cruel._ She thought. She was an outcast for as long as she could remember. After all that time, she never gave them what they wanted. She would never cry. She just ignored them, and because of them, she became as emotionless as she was. Because of them she became as strong as she was. But all of that couldn't change the fact that she was a loner. The girl walked back to her room. She sighed as she fell backwards onto her bed. _Another day in this messed up world._

"In third place, we have Scott." The teacher announced as the boy walked up to the front of the class. His friends cheering behind him.

"In second place we have Jessica." The majority of the class clapped, as the blonde-haired girl skipped up to the front of the classroom to accept her award.

"And in first place we have Chikara." The teacher smiled sadly at the girl, knowing what was to come after class. No one cheered for her. The room was completely silent. Chikara stood up and silently walked up to the teacher, picked up the award with two fingers, then returned to her seat. She sat with one knee hugging her chest, the other hanging off the edge of her seat. The teacher continued to drone on about the day's lessons, the girl had a dead look in her eyes as she stared aimlessly at the board. She didn't even hear her name being called by the teacher.

"Chikara? Were you listening?" The teacher interrupted her thoughts.

"Wha?" She snapped out it.

"Someone wants to see you. Go to the front office please."

"Okay." She replied. She walked out of the room and into another one. A man with a trench coat was waiting there for her. He handed her a mixed up 3x3 rubik's cube. She solved it almost instantly.

"Come with me." The man said. "We're leaving."

"Who are you? And where are we going"

"I am known as Watari, and we are going to the Wammy's House."

She had just gotten off the private jet that brought her from Tokyo, Japan to Winchester, England. She got off the jet only to be herded into a black limo.

"The Wammy's House is a institute to train gifted children." Watari explained.

"That just happen to be orphans." The girl commented.

"Exactly, anyways, there everyone uses an alias." Watari continued. "So what do you want your alias to be."

She thought for a split second before responding, "K"

"Why do you choose that?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, because one of the kids there is named L."

"Hmm. Interesting. Well, I choose K because of this." She unfolded a piece of paper and showed it to the man. His eyes quickly scanned over the paper.

"Your birth certificate."

"Yeah."

"But they didn't have this at the orphanage, so…"

"They didn't have my real name. No one does. Except for you, I guess." The girl took out a lighter and quickly set fire to the edge of the paper, destroying all evidence of her name.

"Why did you do that?"

"My name is not something I want everyone to know, and I'm guessing because your orphanage only uses aliases, you too don't want people to know our names either."

"Here it is. The Wammy's House." Watari opened the car door and K stepped out. In front of her was a black iron gate, with the sign introducing where they were. Locked behind it was a white mansion. "Come on, we need to get you settled."

She was second. One day after coming to the Wammy's House, she was already second place, directly underneath L. People started hating her, but that was nothing new. She eventually just stopped going out of her room to work on her cases that Watari had assigned her. Bit by bit, she started piecing together her identity as a world class detective, just as L did before her. Watari informed her that L was five years older than herself, so he was eleven at the time. Currently it was 3 a.m. and she was working on a case that she had just been given. It was really simple. Some guy was found dead, holding a gun in one hand and a cassette tape in the other. The tape seemed like a suicide note followed by a gunshot, but if he was dead, how would he had rewound the tape? No it was murder, and just by digging deeper, it turned out to be an ex-girlfriend. She stopped the watch. 4 minutes 2 seconds. _Too slow. Maybe I just needed more food._ She got up and walked out of the room, only herself and L were allowed to be up at this time. She followed the hallways into the kitchen, and the refrigerator door was already open. A boy with black hair, and black eyes, ringed with more black stood in front of the refrigerator finding something to eat. _It had to be L._ K realized. _No one else was allowed up at this time._

"Hello L."

The boy turned around, "It's nice to finally meet you, K."

It's been awhile since she first met L. She was 20 and he was 25. They were working on the Kira case together and they had just caught Higuchi as Kira. But the case wasn't over, someone had just picked up the killings and started right where they left off. K was in another room, watching the task force from surveillance cameras:

"There were 16 deaths just yesterday. All of them were broadcast after Higuchi's death." Aizawa reported.

"Immediately after, huh?" Matsuda asked.

"Do you think this could mean that Higuchi wasn't necessarily Kira, after all?" Soichiro hypothesised.

"No. It's safe to say that Higuchi was the one killing criminals until we apprehended him." Light argued.

"Then this means we are dealing with yet ANOTHER Kira..!" Aizawa sighed.

"Awww, man! NOT AGAIN!" Matsuda complained.

"Damn, damn you, Kira!" Light cursed.

 _Another Kira's appeared?! What's going on here?_ L thought.

 _I can't believe this! It has to be Misa!_ Rem realized.

"These killings began as soon as Misa was free, didn't they?" L questioned.

"Ryuzaki, are you still going on about that? She has nothing to do with this! Think about it - this started as soon as Higuchi died!" Light defended.

"Hm, I suppose you are right. Oh well, if there is another notebook floating around out there and someone is now using it to kill criminals, I'll just have to bring that person to justice." L decided.

 _The Shinigami insisted that it didn't know, but if someone were able to kill simply by writing a name on a torn piece of the notebook.._.. _It's not impossible. But there is that rule;_

" _Whoever writes a name in this notebook has to write another name within 13 days, otherwise they die." Light Yagami and Misa Amane are both still alive. Thirteen days. That's the only problem._

"Ryuzaki, I've been thinking, even if we do manage to catch the person who's been writing names in the notebook, will we really be able to legally convict and punish them for mass homicide?" Light asked.

"What?! Of course we can convict them! This guy's intentionally writing names in the notebook knowing that these people are going to die. Even if we don't plan on publicly acknowledging the notebook, the least we can do is execute the killer!" Matsuda exclaimed.

In the background, Rem stiffened, and from the other room, K smiled as she noticed the Shinigami do so.

"It's not a very humane way to do things, but the higher-ups would probably want to take measures like that." Aizawa nodded.

"If they admit to killing with the notebook, they'll receive the death penalty or life in prison at least." L agreed as he ate, "That's the best they could hope for."

 _What are you thinking, Light Yagami - making Misa kill again?! She'll be caught and once that happens you'll also be - So that's what your plan is. You are truly disgusting. Light Yagami is certain that I would do anything to help Misa and save her life. And at this point, the only way for me to save Misa is to write Ryuzaki's real name in my notebook. And if I kill Ryuzaki, it would mean that I deliberately lengthened Misa's life, and I will die as well._ Rem realized. _Well, I just might be able to fool Light…._

Rem left the room and she headed for K's surveillance room. K slouched back into her chair as the Shinigami fazed through her walls.

"You care for the current Kira, don't you?" K accused.

"How did you-" Rem started.

"You tensed when they were talking about Kira's execution. It's quite obvious actually. The others didn't notice because they were too busy talking."

"Well. I need you to do something."

"What?"

"I need you to burn the Death Note."

"But-"

"That rule is a fake. Light Yagami had his shinigami write down a fake rule."

"Did you just admit that Light is Kira?"

"Yes."

"But why are you telling me this?"

"Because Light wants to use me to kill Ryuzaki and Watari."

"No!" K immediately stood up. "Don't kill them! Please! Kill me instead."

"Why are you so determined to save them?"

"Well… I have a very screwed up childhood. People hated me for my intelligence, and I had no friends. When Watari picked me up from that first orphanage, and when I first met L, they were my motivation to keep going, to be the best I can. Without them, I have no reason to stay alive." K sighed.

"I see, but I have an idea. And with my plan, none of you will die."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to…


	3. Rebirth

"What. A pair of sleeping skulls?" One said.

"Hehe. Looks like I win again! No hard feelings right? Hey there, Ryuk, would it kill you to join us? You should come play with us for a change." Another shinigami offered.

"No, I'll pass." The one called Ryuk declined.

"Listen for the voice of God, then follow it. Know that in time you will find your salvation. Yagami? Are you still with us?" The teacher asked as a boy looked up. "Can you please translate the following sentence into English?"

The boy sighed then stood up, "Follow the teachings of God and receive his blessing, and so it shall be that the seas will again become bountiful and the raging storms will subside." He read aloud.

"Today at approximately 11 a.m. a 32 year old man was found stabbed to death in his apartment in the city of Yokohama Karigara Prefecture. Yokohama police are treating this as a homicide."

"In other news, today suspected murderer Naoki Tokuji was arrested in the district of Shibuya Tokyo. He is being held in custody facing murder charges for the brutal slaying of his common-law partner, who was only 25 at the time of death."

 _Day in and day out the same news on permanent repeat_. Light Yagami thought.

 _This is all so ridiculous_. Ryuk thought.

 _This world is…_

… _rotten_

"Another noticeable consequence is the extinction of many species on the planet. Species are now becoming extinct at a faster rate than has ever be recorded in our recorded history." The teacher droned on.

The brunette boy looked out the window just as a black notebook fell from the sky. It caught the light momentarily and the words 'Death Note' was scrawled in white.

As Light walked out of the class, chattering students fill the halls. He heads straight towards the place where the notebook had landed. The boy picked it up and read the cover.

 _Death Note? As in a notebook of death? Hmmm._ Yagami opened the book _. How to use it: the human whose name is written in this notebook... shall die! Hmm, it's pretty lame, not to mention twisted. It's really not that different from one of those chain letters you get. A human whose name is written in this notebook shall die? Come on._ He dropped the notebook and walked away.

A train whizzed past the people waiting on both sides.

 _There must be something wrong with me to even consider it._ Light thought as he walked home.

The brunette crashed against his bed, thinking. Suddenly, he got up and walked to his desk and grabbed the notebook. _This notebook will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his or her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Hmm, so depending on the person you have in mind you can either kill them easily or painfully, huh. This is pretty detailed for a prank, I'll give them that. Hmm, so I write a name and that person... dies. Like anyone would believe that. Ugh! Wait, on the off chance someone really dies would that make me a murderer? Yeah right, it's completely impossible._ Light thought.

"The same assailant who attacked 6 people at a busy shopping district in Shinjuku yesterday has struck again. Taking 8 people hostage at this daycare centre. His captives include both children and teachers. The police have now identified the suspect as 42-year-old Kuro Otoharada, currently unemployed. We expect negotiations to begin immediately." A newscaster reported.

"At the present time, that's all the police are telling us" Another reporter continued.

The high schooler quickly scrawled the characters of Kuro Otoharada's name. _A heart attack in 40 seconds, we'll see._

"You can't help but feel concerned for the safety of those hostages." The first one said.

"You're absolutely right. We'll continue to monitor the situation from here." The other one replied.

"Thank you for that report. What do you make of this Mr. Hashimoto?"

"Well, one can only hope for a quick solution for this situation." Mr. Hashimoto said

Light watched the clock on his wall. Seconds ticked by, one by one.

"Looks like the notebook doesn't work. Oh well, I wasn't expecting it to." He sighed, and leaned back in his chair.

"Wait, we're seeing something here. Looks like there's movement at the front entrance." The excited voice of a newscaster called.

"The hostages are coming out and they all look to be unharmed. The Special Forces are taking action, they're moving in! We don't know if the suspect's been arrested. Huh? Yes? Ok, we now have confirmation. The suspect has been found dead inside. I repeat, the suspect is now dead." The other one continued.

 _Dead?_ Light thought, his eyes widening.

"The Special Forces are denying allegations that they shot the suspect." A reporter said.

"So, it's quite possible he was feeling cornered and decided to commit suicide?" The other newscaster questioned.

"Well, according to statements from hostages the suspect just suddenly collapsed." One replied.

 _A heart attack? No way! It's coincidence, this has to be a coincidence. The boy thought vigorously._

"Light! It's already 6:30 you know, don't you have cram school tonight?" His mother called up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'll be ready in just one sec." Light replied. _The Death Note, it's unlikely, but if by chance this thing is for real. I have to test it one more time. In which case, it should probably be another criminal. But if he's too well known, there's a possibility that the news of his death will be covered up._

"Hey, Ryo buddy." A boy said.

"What is it, Sudo?" Ryo asked

"Didn't you want to lend me twenty dollars?" Sudo questioned, faking innocence.

"What? Again? I can't do that?" Ryo sighed.

 _Sudo…._ Light thought. _Maybe I should try killing him. No, I should definitely avoid killing people I know. Then again does it matter? I mean, would anyone really care if someone like him was to disappear one day?_

"Sweet, looks like we'll be hanging at the arcade tonight." Sudo exclaimed.

"We're having a speed dating party tomorrow, you wanna come?" A girl asked.

"Yeah, of course!" One replied.

"Oh yeah. There's no way I'm missing that!"

"Damnit! Why's my mom so useless! She's never here to pick me up on time!" The boy named Ryo screamed, exasperated.

 _Once you start looking around, it makes you wonder if you'd be doing society a favor by getting rid of all these people._ Light thought.

Across the street, a group of people on motorcycles encircle a single lady. "What's up little lady? The name's Takuo Shibuimaru. What do ya say? Come hang out with us, pretty lady." The leader smirked.

"Please, I don't want any trouble." The woman said.

"You hear that? She doesn't want any trouble!" One of the henchmen laughed.

"Isn't that cute?" Another scoffed.

"Let's go boys, strip her down right here." The one called Takuo ordered.

"Are you sure?" A henchman asked.

Light immediately wrote down a few Japanese characters in the black book.

"Stop! Please! Someone help me!" The gang's victim screamed as she breaks away from the group and runs away.

"Hey wait up!" Takuo calls after her.

"Takuo, look out!" One of his goons warned.

The man named Takuo was suddenly reduced to a pile of blood, bones, and gore. The traumatized woman screamed out in shock.

 _That settles it, the Death Note, it's for real._ Light thought.

Just outside, the men were mourning the death of their leader. "Oh man! Takuo!" One yelled.

"Stupid kid! He just came outta nowhere! Arrgh!" The other one said.

"It's been five days. Now then, I'd better get going." Ryuk muttered.

"Eh? You going somewhere Ryuk?" A shinigami asked.

"Hate to tell you but our whole world looks like this." Another one laughs.

"That's true but I've dropped my Death Note." Ryuk murmured.

The other two shinigami cackled.

"You really messed things up, didn't you?"

"Hold on a sec? Didn't you already trick the Old Man to get a second book? Don't tell me you dropped both of them."

"You must have some idea where you dropped the thing?"

"Yeah, the human world." Ryuk replied.

"What?"

Black feathered wings sprouted out of Ryuk's back, as he went through the portal to the human world. His wings pounded through the air as thunder crackled through the air.

Light walked into into his home to see his mother waiting for him inside.

"What a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting you home this early." Sachiko smiled.

"Yeah. Hi mom. It's because… Huh? Oh, the nationwide exams." Light realized, then pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack.

"I've been waiting all day." His mother explained.

"Here." He then hands her the results.

"Goodness! Number one again! These are the highest scores you've had." She exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to study in my room so please don't interupt me, ok?" Light requested.

"As you wish." Sachiko agreed. "Oh Light, do you want anything at all dear? You can ask for whatever you'd like."

"No, I'm fine mom, thanks though." Light called down. "I've already got what I want."

He opens his drawers, pulls out the Death Note. Light flips through the pages looking at the names, and cackling.

"You've taken quite a liking to it." A voice came from behind, Light spun around to find a monster with what looks like blue eyeliner. The creature had red irises and yellow pupils.

"AHHHHHH!" Light screamed then toppled over his chair.

"No reason to act surprised. I am the Shinigami Ryuk." The creature sighed. "That used to be my notebook. Judging by your laughter you've already figured out that what you have isn't a no ordinary notebook."

"Shinigami, a God of Death, huh? Well I'm not surprised. In fact… Ryuk, I've been waiting for you." Light got up from his chair.

"Oh?"

"I've already figured out that this Death Note that I've found is real, it didn't take me long. And now that I've witnessed the proof of its power I only feel more confident in what I'm gonna do."

"That's interesting. I certainly wasn't expecting this. Several Death Notes have made their way into the human world in the past. But you're the first to have written this many names. Look at how many people you've killed in only five days. Most are reluctant to write this much."

"I've already prepared myself Ryuk. I used the notebook even know I knew it belonged to a Shinigami and now that Shinigami has come. So what will happen to me? You're here to take my soul, right?"

"Hmm, what do you mean? I that some fantasy you humans came up with? I'm not gonna do anything to you. The notebook becomes part of the human realm from the very moment it touches the earth. In other words, the notebook is now yours."

"This… is mine?"

"If you don't want it just give it to someone else. But if you give it away I'd have no choice but to erase your memories of the notebook."

"So, then, you're saying I can use the Death Note all I want and I won't be punished?"

"Let's just say this, you will feel the fear and pain known only to humans who have used the notebook. And when it's your time to die, it will fall on me to write your name in my death note."

Be warned, any human who's used a Death Note can neither go to heaven nor hell for eternity. That's all. Now you have something to look forward to after you die."

A knocking sound filled the room.

"Uhhhh." Light murmured.

"Light?" Sachiko asked.

"It'll be alright." Ryuk confirmed.

"What is it?" Light wondered, opening the door.

"I thought you'd like some apples, the neighbors brought them over for us." His mom explained, peeking into his room. "Why on earth is it so dark in your room? You'll ruin your eyesight."

 _What's going on? Mom can't see him?_ Light was confused.

"That notebook you found originally belonged to me and since you're now using it, you are the only one able to see me and of course, my voice can only be heard by you. In other words, the Death Note is the bond between Light, the Human and Ryuk, the Shinigami. Yum." The blue haired Shinigami answered his silent thought.

"I just have one more question I wanna ask you. Why was I chosen for this?" Light questioned as the Shinigami devoured two more apples. "Hey are you even listening?"

"Apples in the human world are worth the trip. What's the best way to describe them? Juicy?" Ryuk thought out loud.

"Just answer my question." Light sighed.

"I didn't choose you. Don't you see? This is all just an accident. You actually thought you were chosen because you're so smart or something?" Ryuk rolled his eyes. "Don't be so vain. It just happened to fall around here and you just happened to pick it up. That's why I wrote the instructions in English, the most popular language in the human world."

"Then why did you drop it in the first place? You even wrote down specific instructions, so don't try telling me this was an accident." Light glared.

"You're asking me why?" Ryuk confirmed. "I did it 'cause I was bored."

"You were bored?"

"The truth is Shinigami haven't got much to do these days. Most of the time we're either taking naps or gambling. If you take the time to write names in your Death Note, the others just laugh at you for working so hard. Even if you wrote the name of another Shinigami, it'd be pointless because they wouldn't die. And so becomes we live in the Shinigami Realm it brings us no amusement to kill those in the human world either. So, I figured I'd have more fun if I came down here myself. Anyway, I'm surprised at how many names you've written. But I wanna know why you only wrote the cause of death for that guy who was hit by the truck." Ryuk explained.

"If you don't write down the cause of death, the victim dies of a heart attack. And that's probably the best thing about the Death Note, Ryuk." Light smirked. "You see, I've already exhausted the list of the world's major criminals. And eventually, I'm going to get rid of them all."

"What's the point of doing that?" Ryuk asked.

"You see, I've already exhausted the list of the world's major criminals. And eventually, I'm going to get rid of them all. That their is someone passing righteous judgement on the wicked."

"Why even bother? What are you trying to achieve by passing judgement on them. I mean, why do you care?"

"Because, I've been bored too. I wasn't ready to believe it at first, but it's obvious now. There's something about the Death Note itself that makes humans want to try it out at least once."

"I killed them both. I really… I killed two men. Those were human lives, it won't be overlooked. Besides, who am I to pass judgement on others?" Light whimpered. "Uhh, no, no wait. Maybe I'm wrong. This is exactly what I've been thinking about lately. This world is rotting and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it's worth it. Because the world can't go on like this."

 _I've wondered what if someone else picked up this notebook. Is there anyone out there, other than me, who would be willing to eliminate the vermin rot the world? If I don't do it, then who will? That's just it, there's no one. But I can do it, in fact, I'm the only one who can. I'll do it, using the Death Note, I'll change the world._ Light thought.

"At first, I wrote the names of the worst criminals I could think of. Like I was cleaning up the world, one name at a time. So that eventually no one will ever do anything evil again. And while the truly guilty ones who deserve to be punished for their crimes die of heart attacks. The people who are less guilty but who still make trouble for others will slowly be erased through disease and accidental death. Then and only then the world will start moving in the right direction. It'll be a new world, free of injustice, and populated by people who I've judged to be honest kind and hardworking." Light explained.

"But if you did that, it would make you the only bad person left."

"Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a hard working honor student considered to be one of Japan's best and brightest. And I… I will become the God of this New World."

 _Humans are so… interesting._ Ryuk thought


	4. Confrontation

"He found himself overwhelmed with happiness and satisfaction, knowing that, at long last, his dream had finally come true. Alright then. Yagami? Please recite this line for us." The teacher at the front of the class requested.

Light stood up, and recited, "Sure. Having finally made his dream a reality, he was overwhelmed. Both by the magnitude of his achievement, and the joy and happiness it brought him." He got back in his seat.

"That was very well done. But I'm not surprised, of course. Absolutely flawless. Well then we'll leave it at that for today." The class was dismissed, the students groans and exited the building.

"I thought it'd never end. How do you do this every day?" Ryuk said, stretching. "It's so boring here. Hey, where're you going? Hey Light! Are you even listening to me?"

"Don't talk to me. Unlike you, people can still hear me when I talk out loud." Light whispered.

"Heh. Well aren't you boring." Ryuk sighed.

"Hey, what's up, Light? We were just going to head down to the-" A student invited.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy today." Light replied.

"You don't have anything to do. Aren't you just going to go home and hang around your room like usual?" Ryuk questioned.

"What are you talking about? Of course I have something to do! Something very important…" Light smirked.

"There was more violence across the city today. Another stabbing, this time at a restaurant in the heart of Kabuki-cho district of Shinjuku." Came a voice from the television.

"Hey Light." Ryuk chewed on an apple. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

"What is it." Light said irritably.

"Why are you working so hard?" Ryuk's voice came again.

"I can't afford to waste any time. I have a very small window to write names in this notebook. I only have from when I get home from school until I go to bed. I still need to sleep so I can maintain my average and stay at the top of my class." Light explained. "Obviously I can't be sleeping in class. Plus, there's all the studying at home and at cram school. I can't let myself get too tired. It will start affecting my health and mental performance. If I'm serious about trying to create an ideal world that's free from evil then I need to make the most of my time."

Suddenly the locked door knob on Light's door starts to shake.

"Huh? Weird. Hey Light, what's going on? Why's your door locked?" A feminine voice was heard from the other side.

 _It's Sayu. "_ What is it?" Light asked.

"Can you help me with my homework?" His little sister called.

"Uh, yeah. Okay." Light quickly shoved the Death Note into the desk drawer and locked it, then he opened his door, revealing a girl around the age of 12.

"We're doing quadratics in math. Sorry to interrupt, I know you're studying right now, but I'm like the only person in my class who doesn't get this stuff. Thanks so much!" Sayu smiled.

"I'd be careful if I were you. If anyone else touches that notebook you've got hidden in that drawer right now they'll be able to see me too." Ryuk laughed.

 _Huh, he waits until now to tell me that important detail?! Damn Shinigami._ Light thought angrily.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Sayu's concerned voice rang out.

"Hm? It's nothing. So what don't you understand? What are you stuck on?" Light questioned.

"Um… Well… I think all of it." Sayu confessed.

"There have been over 52 deaths that we're aware of, and that's just in the past week!" One man shouted.

"Every single one of them involved a heart attack." Another yelled into his headset.

"They were all criminals who were either held in prison or who were wanted by police for outstanding crimes. And I think it's safe to say there are other criminals whose deaths are unaccounted for." The first one hollered back.

"In which case, the death toll could be well over 100." A third reasoned.

"Uh. Morning Chief. They started the meeting without you." A young man whispered in the back.

"That's fine, I had to take an urgent call from headquarters." Another voice whispered back. This time coming from an older man, maybe in his late 40s.

"At any rate, these were criminals who were probably facing execution sooner or later. Perhaps we should-" A delegate argued.

"Why should it matter if it's a criminal or someone innocent?! Last I checked, murder was still murder!" Another shot back angrily.

"It's still too early to consider these a homicide." One said.

"Then how did all these people all have heart attacks at the exact same time!" A representative screamed. "It's not coincidence, it's murder!"

"You think it's possible to simultaneously kill all these people in different locations?"

"We're treating this as an elaborate murder plot that's been carried out by a large organization."

"If it is a large organization, I'm sure I'm not alone is suspecting the FBI or CIA."

"I dare you to say that again!"

"Now now, this is not the time to be joking around! We need to confirm that these are indeed homicides and not coincidences."

"How? Autopsy results show that in all these cases the victims all died of a sudden heart attack."

"Investigating a series of heart attacks is pointless. I don't see what we can learn."

"Absolutely. If these people had been shot or stabbed at least we'd have something to go on."

"If that's the case, we have no choice but to bring in L or K."

The noise filled room suddenly quieted down. Everyone was quietly whispering to their neighbors.

"Uh, Chief? What are this L and K their talking about?" The same young man asked.

"Right, I forgot that it's your first time at this conference. We don't know either L or K's real names or whereabouts. In fact, we still don't know what they look like. All we know it that L is male and K is female. However, they've managed to solve every case they've ever taken on. And they've tackled some of the greatest mysteries the world has ever known. They both hide in the shadows, but they're the best of the best. A last resort. Our trump card." Chief kindly explained.

"But I've heard that this L is extremely arrogant and has only tended to take on cases that he's personally interested in."

"That's exactly right! Besides we don't even know how to contact him."

"And I've also heard K is even harder to get a hold of."

"And that she'll only take on cases when she's bored."

"L is already on the move." A deep voice filled the room. Footsteps echoed within the walls. "Gentlemen, L has already begun his investigation into these incidents. As for K, I can't speak for her."

"What? Who's that?" The young detective known as Matsuda asked.

"That man is known as Watari, he is the only known person who can contact L. Nobody knows his true identity either." Chief Yagami explained.

"Please be silent, L would like to address the delegates." Watari said as he opened a laptop and L's insignia appeared on the screen,

"Greetings to all of you at the ICPO. I am L." A synthetic voice started.

"What are we doing here anyways? I don't understand why we're sneaking around this dump." Ryuk complained.

"Isn't it obvious? Anyone who touches the Death Note will be able to see you. I can't afford to carry something this dangerous with me anymore. Up until now, I thought that if my family ever saw the Notebook, I can tell them I was keeping records of various criminals in preparation for becoming a detective one day. But I'm walking a very fine line right now. I don't want to think about it, but if I make one mistake, I might end up killing my own family." Light explained while pouring two liquids together, which bursts into flame.

"The difficulty of this case lies on its unprecedented scope. And make no mistake. We are witnessing an atrocious act of mass murder, one that is unforgivable. This case cannot be solved without the full cooperation of the ICPO. That is all of the police organizations you represent throughout the world. You need to make the decision to fully support the investigation at this meeting. I also require additional cooperation for Japan's National Police Agency." The modified voice requested.

"Why Japan in particular." Soichiro demanded.

"Whether the guilty party is an individual or a group, there is a strong possibility that they are Japanese. And even if they aren't, we can be sure that they are hiding in Japan." L clarified.

"What is this all based on?" Chief Yagami asked.

"Why Japan you ask? I think I will be able to provide you with proof after I directly confront the culprit."

"A direct confrontation!?"

"At any rate, I would like to set up the investigation headquarters in Japan"

"That was easier to make than I thought it would be." Light sighed, falling back into his chair.

"Huh? Does that mean you were able to hide the notebook?" Ryuk asked.

"Yeah, I hid it right here in the drawer." Light pointed.

"But it doesn't seem particularly well hidden. You left the key in the lock." Ryuk said, skeptically.

"And that's the whole point. I intentionally left the key in the most noticeable place possible." Light explained, opening the drawer to reveal a regular leather diary.

"It's that just a regular diary?"

"That's what it is. I'm guessing that once most people find this diary inside my desk, that'll probably satisfy their curiosity. But the really key it this. Just an everyday item that you'll find lying around my desk. A regular ball-point pen, and all I need is this part."

Light unscrewed the cap of the pen, and pulled out the ink reservoir.

"So that's the key?" Ryuk questioned.

"Yeah. If you look closely, there's a small hole underneath the drawer. Then you just insert this." Light pushed up a piece of wood, unmasking the Death Note below.

"Aha. A fake bottom. The diary will distract most people so I doubt anyone will find it." Ryuk marveled.

"But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"Even if someone figures out there's a fake base, I've set things up so that there's no way they could get their hands on the notebook. You see, once the ink reservoir is inserted, it accesses an insulator, preventing the flow of electricity around this circuit. When the fake base of the drawer's put back, this piece of rubber also prevents the flow of electricity. However, if someone were to try and force the bottom of the drawer open, the circuit would connect and now would ignite the gasoline contained in this thin plastic casing, instantly setting the notebook on fire. The way I've got it set up, all the evidence will be completely destroyed. If I'm ever questioned, I'd say that I was hiding the real diary, because I didn't want anyone to see it. It sounds like a pretty believable excuse. I mean, it is my diary after all."

"I've heard of humans finding Death Notes in the past and typically the biggest problem they had was finding a good place to hide it. But you, Light, you're probably the first to have given it this much thought. Though, it's a pretty risky setup from the look of it. If you make even the slightest mistake, you could be badly burned."

"Risky? You say the strangest thing sometimes, Ryuk. This whole thing has been a risk since the very beginning, from the moment I obtained the Death Note. I'm sorry, but compared to that, this doesn't even qualify as a risk to me. In fact, it actually protects me. It all comes down to a choice: would I prefer to be executed or deal with a little house fire?"

"Last night in the West Tokyo penitentiary, Naoki Koro Kitiyama, originally sentenced to fifteen years for armed robbery, was reported to have died of a sudden heart attack at age 32. This is just the most recent death in the steadily growing number of cases involving inmates dying of heart attacks."

"This is unbelieveable. Criminals are dropping like flies lately."

"It's a little scary, but at the same time it's kinda cool."

"Sure. Just make sure you don't do anything bad."

"I won't be surprised if the police were behind this."

"No way! The police don't have that kind of power."

"Don't you know about him?"

"Huh? About who?"

"Kira. You know, Kira."

"I wonder who's gonna get killed next."

"Hey, Ryuk check this out." Light said to the Shinigami while reading something off his computer.

"Huh?" Ryuk moved over to where Light was sitting.

"Websites like this have been popping up everywhere lately." Light explained.

"The Legend Of Kira the Saviour. Sounds pretty cool. Is this about you?" Ryuk asked.

"Yeah. I think they've taken the name Kira from the English word 'killer.' Can't say that I'm too happy about that, but it looks like that's the name they've decided to give me. When I search up the word Kira, I'm getting tons of websites just like this one. The media hasn't picked up on it. They're still calling this a succession of unexplained deaths among the world's most hardened criminals. But...the people of the world can already sense that there's something happening. They know there's someone out there passing righteous judgment."

"Oh?"

"Human beings are like that, Ryuk. Although this would probably never happen in school, let's say that students were asked to discuss whether bad people deserve to die. Well, you can bet that everyone will give the politically correct answer."

"It's just wrong to kill people."

"That's what they are bound to say. Of course that's the correct response to give, right? Humans are always trying to maintain appearances when they're in public. That's just how we are. But this is how they really feel. Most are too afraid to support me as they're worried about what others would think. Many would rather deny my existence. But on the Internet, where you can remain anonymous, support for Kira is growing. Maybe people are afraid to say it out loud, but they all understand what's happening. Someone's making the bad guys disappear one by one. Those who have done no wrong are cheering for Kira in their hearts because they have nothing to fear, while those who have done wrong are on the run. They are forced to hide from an unknown enemy. This is how it should be. It's perfect. Everything is going just like I planned."

"We'd like to apologize for the interruption. As of now, we're bring you a live worldwide broadcast from Interpol, ICPO." A newscaster announced.

"Hm? What's this?" Ryuk looked confused.

"Interpol?" Light asked.

"We now take you live to the ICPO." The reporter continued. The screen changed to a black haired man in front of an Interpol banner.

"I head up an International Police Task Force which includes all member nations. I am Lind. L. Tailor, otherwise know as L.

"So this is how it all begins." Soichiro Yagami stated.

But, sir, I don't get it. He's never actually shown his face before, right? Why would he choose to do it now?

It must mean L's serious about this.

Hm.

 _L, we've followed every single one of your orders. Now, it's time for you to prove what you said to the ICPO._ Chief Yagami thought.

"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history. I will not rest until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down. I will find you." Declared the man on the television.

"He seems certain he'll find you." Ryuk pointed out.

"Hm. That fool. He'll never find me. He'll have to get this first. And as long as the police don't find it, there won't be any evidence to convict me. Which means catching me will be absolutely impossible. I anticipated that the police would get involved and that something like this might happen." Light smirked.

"Kira, I've got a pretty good idea what your motivation might be and I can guess what you hope to achieve. However, what you're doing right now is evil." Lind. L. Tailor smiled.

"You think…. I'm evil." Light gasped. "...I am justice! I protect the innocent and those who fear evil! I'm the one who will become the god of a new world that everyone desires! All those who oppose that god, they are the ones who are truly evil!"

"I guess you're just too stupid, L. Too bad. This could've been a lot more interesting if you'd only been a bit smarter." Light grinned as he grabbed a pen and nearly tore the pages of the Death Note writing Lind. L. Tailor in big letters across a page. "I'll show the world what happens when you cross me. The entire world is watching...L."

"Five more seconds." Light muttered while glancing at his watch. "Four… Three… Two… One…"

The man on the screen gasped, clutching his heart, then fell face forward onto his desk. Dead.

"What's wrong? You've got nothing else to say?" Light laughed manically as two men carried the body off screen. Suddenly the screen changed into a black and white design….. L's insignia.

"Ah. I had to test this, just in case, but I-I never thought it would actually happen." The modified voice said, shocked. "Kira...it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't just witnessed it. Listen to me, Kira. If you did, indeed, kill Lind L. Tailor, the man who you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me."

"What!" Now it was Light's turn to be shocked.

"The police arrested him in absolute secrecy, so you wouldn't have heard of him on TV or through the internet. It appears not even you have access to information about these types of criminals." L spoke as Ryuk laughed.

"He got you there." The Shinigami chuckled.

"But I assure you, L _is_ real. I _do_ exist. Now...try to kill _me_!" L challenged.

"You… You bastard." Light seethed.

"What's wrong?! Go ahead! Come on, right now! Kill me!" L continued.

"What the hell is going on? L is taking this too far." A officer said.

"Are you trying to kill yourself, L?!" Another gasped.

Just outside, people started getting jumpy from all the excitement.

"What's going on?"

"Look, it's Kira versus L!"

"Huh? What?"

"This is freaky."

"Amazing!"

"Do it Kira!"

"Someone, stop this!"

"What's the matter?!"

"Can't you do it?" L taunted. Light just stared. "Well Kira, it seems you can't kill me after all.

So there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint. A dealer to a saver. I'll tell you something that I think you'll find interesting. Although this was announced as a worldwide broadcast, the truth is, we are only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan. I had planned to broadcast this message around the world until we found you, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I know now where you are."

"This L guy is pretty good." Ryuk laughed.

"The police treated your first killing as an unrelated incident, but in actuality, the first of your victims was a suspect in Sinjuku. Of all the criminals that recently died of heart attacks, this one's crime was, by far, the least serious. Furthermore, his crime was only ever reported inside Japan. I used that information to deduce this much. You are in Japan and your first victim was little more than an experiment, which means you haven't been killing for very long." L continued as Light gasped in shock. "We decided to broadcast in Kanto first because of its large population, and, luckily, we found you. To be completely honest with you, I never expected it would go this well. But it won't be too long now before I'll be able to sentence you to death."

"L has...certainly lived up to his reputation." Matsuda said.

"Mmhmm. He proved that Kira exists, the deaths were murders, and that he is here in Japan." Chief Yagami nodded.

"Naturally, I am very interested to know how you're able to commit these murders without being present...but I don't mind waiting a little bit longer. You can answer all of my questions when I catch you...Let's meet again soon, Kira." L finished, leaving a static, fuzzy screen. Suddenly it changed yet again to a calligraphy 'K."

"So that was interesting to watch." Another modified voice started, this time more feminine."Well, I can't let an old friend have all the fun, or beat me to this game. And plus, this case is… so… well, interesting. I will join this case. Kira, if neither L or I can find you, we will do it together. Kira, this is the beginning of your downfall."

Once again, the screen blurred out. "Really? They're going to sentence me to death? I accept your challenge, L, K." Light muttered.

 _Each of them has to hunt down the other without knowing the other's name or face. And the first one whose identity is revealed will die. Humans are so much fun._ Ryuk thought.

"L, K…." Light started

"Kira…." Both detectives muttered.

"I will hunt you down wherever you're hiding and I will eliminate you."

"I am…."

"I am…."

"I am…."

"Justice!" They finished together.


	5. Dealings

"All right. Let's start with the tip line reports." The Chief of the NPA ordered.

"Yes sir. Up to this point, we've received 3029 responses to the murders via telephone and email. Most of these have been curious citizens and prank calls, but there 14 people to either known Kira or have seen him. All 14 accounts were followed up on and carefully documented. However, nobody could provide information that wasn't already publicly available. And lastly, there have been 21 people calling in claiming to be Kira. We didn't want to rule anything out. So we followed standard procedure." An officer reported.

"Uh huh. Alright, onto the victim reports." Soichiro Yagami stated.

"Yes, sir. Upon further investigation, we have confirmed that information of the heart attack victims was in fact publicly made available in Japan just prior to their deaths. Also concerning L's request that we investigate the time of death of each victim, we found that all of them occurred between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m. on weekdays, local time, with 68% of them occurring between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. Weekends and holidays appeared to be the exception of this rule as the time of death vary much more widely than during the week." Another called out.

" That information is extremely relevant for us. It suggests that, given the times of death, our suspect could very well be a student. Based on the fact that Kira is only killing criminals, I think it's safe to assume that he is driven by a very idealistic notion of justice. It's highly possible he may even aspire to be some sort of godlike figure. We're dealing with the individual who has a very childish concept of right and wrong. Of course, this is mere speculation at this point, but still I recommend you re-examine any assumptions you've made as to whether or not our suspect could be a student. We must consider every possibility. I believe that's the shortest route to finding and arresting Kira. Please, continue with your report." L's modified voice decided.

"Hm. Oh right, does anyone else have something they'd like to say?" Yagami asked.

"Um yes sir." Matsuda stood up.

"What is it, Matsuda?"

"Um. well I'm not saying this to support Kira or to condone the murders, but in the last few days throughout the world, but especially here in Japan, we've observed the dramatic decrease in the number of violent crimes committed." The young detective explained.

"Well, I suppose it makes sense. We've suspected that something like this would happen. Anything else?"

"No." Matsuda sat down.

"Well, that about sums up our report for today. L?"

"Thank you everyone. I feel we're one step closer to finding Kira. Before I go, I'm afraid I have one additional request to make. This is directed to the teams investigating the victims, TV news, and internet, I would like you to go back and take a closer look at the exact way in which the victims' identities were made public. Be as thorough as possible. In particular, I want to know if photos of the victims were made available to the public in Japan. I'll leave it to you." The world's best detective asked.

"Chief!" Matsuda said as Soichiro yawned.

"Hm?"

"You look like you could use one of these. Sleeping much?"

"Ah. Thank you. That'll do the trick. I feel all these long nights are taking their toll."

"About what I said earlier at our meeting. Well, now that I think about it, I'm sure everyone already knew that. I wanted to apologize."

"What on earth are you talking about? Nobody said it'll be easy to speak the truth, but it has to be done. Especially when it is something that isn't easy to say."

"Huh?"

"Having said that, if you had gone on to say that we should commend Kira for doing such a great job of reducing violent crime, then yes, I might have a little problem with that."

"Oh, no. No, I wouldn't. That would never happen."

"Just kidding."

"I knew I could count on you, Light." Sayu smiled.

"Hey, so do you think you're ready to try a few on your own?" Light asked.

"Huh? Yeah. I guess so." Sayu replied. "Sounds like dad's home."

"Welcome home, dear." Sachiko said kindly.

"Thank you." Soichiro responded.

"He's home really early today." The young girl commented.

"Hey, why don't you at least try the last problem by yourself." Light sighed.

"I will, but maybe after dinner." His little sister walked out of the room

"Yeah right." He muttered.

"Helping your sister with her homework, you sure are relaxed." Ryuk commented.

"Of course." Light headed downstairs. "If the police try to come after me, I've got something that will give me the advantage."

"Hey, glad you could join us for dinner." Light peered into his father's office. "You hungry?"

"Yeah. It's been a long day, so Light, tell me, how are your studies going." Chief of the NPA asked his son.

"Hm? Everything's okay. I guess." Light answered.

"Whatever. He's at the top of his class. My big brother is a genius." Sayu praised.

"That's my son. We're all proud of you, Light." His mom beamed.

"Is everything okay, Dad? You look tired." Light questioned.

"Yeah. I'm not allowed to say too much about it, but this case I'm working on is really tough." Soichiro revealed.

"I see. Well, well. Daddy's a policeman. And that must be the reason why you're so confident?" Ryuk noticed.

"That's right. It's easy for me to hack into Dad's computer. We're on a home network, so I can copy the files I need without leaving a trace. This way, I can keep track of their investigation. Here we go. Well, isn't that interesting? Looks like the police are already beginning to suspect a student." Light smirked.

"I guess that means you are in trouble." Ryuk laughed.

"If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds. That sound right to you, Ryuk?"

"So what's your point?"

"In other words, if I write heart attacks as the cause of death, then I should be able to write down all the details including time of death afterward, shouldn't I? Looks like I will be able to provide you with more entertainment now."

Another criminal fell against the wall….

"Inmate 148! What's wrong." A guard asked.

"What? I- I don't believe this. Another 23 victims yesterday? Are these confirmed." Chief Yagami gaped.

"Yes." An officer reported.

"The day before, there were another 23 victims. He's killing off one every hour, on the hour." Yagami realized.

"Considering that pattern has been going on for two weekdays…." Another detective started.

"It does punch some holes in the theory that our suspect is a student."

"Maybe not. Anyone can skip two days of school."

"You're missing the point." L said.

"Huh?"

"It does appear less likely that Kira is a student now, but that's not the message that he's sending by doing this. Ask yourselves, why-" L was cut off by the screen changing to a K.

"Ask yourselves, why every hour." K continued. "And why are all these victims in prisons where they should be discovered immediately? Why not other criminals like before? I believe Kira is telling us that not only can he kill from a distance, but he can also determine the time of death. But something's not right. As soon as we began to suspect that Kira might be a student, the pacing of the killings changed. As if to contradict that theory. Coincidence? No. Too convenient. This can only mean that Kira has access to police information. It's obvious now. This is a direct challenge to _us_."

K's intrusion on the Task Force meeting was not taken too well.

"How?" One appeared confused.

"Wha?" Another questioned.

"I see that everyone is confused. I am K. If you were wondering how I was able to get into this, let's just say, the idiot named L gave me his password last time we met, and let's just say that he didn't change it." K explained. "I did say I would join this case didn't I? So here I am, well at least through the computer, you know what I mean. Oh, and Watari, next time bring the other computer too. I want to be part of these meetings, and also give L the message I sent you. All right. I should get going, I need to head to Japan immediately."

The screen went back to L's insignia.

"Well, looks like I need to change my password…." L grumbled. "Watari, what was the message K wanted to give me?"

"I'll forward it to you." The man replied.

"I'd say L and K are starting to sweat a little bit right now. What'll really make their job hard is that I've deliberately left about 50 criminals alive for times like this." Light smirked.

"Oh?" His Shingami companion asked.

"If L and K are as good as they say, they'll start to suspect someone with police connections."

"So." L started.

"Kira has found a way to access police information." K noted, sitting directly across from L.

"That is one fact that can't be ignored." L agreed.

"But something is bothering me."

"Hm?"

"What does Kira gain from this? What is he hoping to achieve?"

"I don't know yet…."

"There's one thing I don't get. Showing them you have connections to the police makes it easier for them to find you then when they just suspected you as a student." Ryuk reasoned.

"Well my real agenda is to get close to the two detectives so I can eliminate them."

"How are you going to do that?"

"You still don't understand human beings. In this world, there are very few people who actually trust each other. Then it's no different for police, you know. What's especially important is that L and the investigators don't trust each other at about it. Could you trust someone whose name and face you don't even know? When L discovers that I'm somehow getting confidential information,

he'll be obligated to start investigating the police to find the source of the leak. When that happens it'll only be a matter of time before the police start resenting L. On the surface it will appear that L and the investigation team are working together to try to catch me. But in reality, L will investigate the police and they will be investigating L. I'm not the one who is going to find L. I can let the police do that for me. And when they do that's when I'll eliminate him."

"You forgot about K, you don't know if she's even working with the NPA." Ryuk pointed out.

"Shit…."

"What's this all about." Chief Yagami demanded.

"With all due respect, sir, we're resigning." One man declared.

"We demand that you assign us to a different case. Otherwise, you can have our badges right here and now." Another one decided.

"Why? You're good cops." Soichiro asked.

"Isn't it clear? It's because we value our lives sir."

"If what L says is true, Kira has some ESP-like power that somehow allows him to kill people indirectly from anywhere."

"Well, if I were Kira, sir, I'd probably wanna trying to get rid of the people who are trying to catch me."

"Let's face it, he knows he will be sentenced to death if he's caught. We all sat here and watched when L decided to pull that media stunt and challenge Kira to kill him. Well, it was all very impressive at the time, but then again, L never had to show his face or reveal his name for that matter. I'm sure you recall L's last request? He asked that we take a closer look at how these victims' identities were made public and specifically to determine whether photos of the victims were available to the public prior to their deaths. Well, it turns out he was right. Every single one of those victims' names and photos were broadcast to the Japanese public, and then they died. Unlike someone we know, we are out there investigating this case wearing police IDs with our names and photos on them. Anybody with a computer can find out who we are. We don't hide our faces. We're out in the open."

"Sir, the truth is, we could be killed by Kira at any time."

"For these reasons, we refuse to continue working this case. Excuse us, Chief."

"Hey, stop! All of you, hold it right there!" Yagami yelled after them.

" In order to solve this problem, we must establish the concept that X squared equals large X. Now pay attention because this is important. Before we tackle more complex quadratic equations, we have to start thinking of large X's values, as simply the multiple of two integers. Now let's apply this concept to our first problem." The teacher explained.

"We brought the FBI to Japan four days ago. They are fully operational. As requested, they are now gathering intel on the police." Watari spoke.

"And this is the complete list?" K asked.

"Yes."

 _There are 141 people in the police force who have access to classified information regarding the investigation. I'm sure somewhere in this list of the police officers and the people closest to them, we will find our suspect._ L thought.

"Light, you got a second?" Ryuk floated behind Light.

"I've already told you, Ryuk, you can't talk to me in public. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"In that case, I'll talk, you just listen. If you don't want to hear me, you can plug your ears or something. First of all, I don't have anything against you. I actually think the notebook couldn't have been picked up by a better person. I'm here 'cause I have to stick around 'til the death note is finished or I see you die, whichever comes first. But make no mistake, Light, I'm not on your side or L's side."

"Yeah. Well, I knew that much already."

"You'll never hear me say anything about whether what you're doing is right or wrong. I'm not here to support you or give you my opinion, I'm just a spectator. But as your roommate, I might have a few things to say now and then."

"What's this about, Ryuk? Why are you telling me all this stuff now, anyway? It's really not like you."

"It's just that I'm no ally of yours, or Kira's if you prefer, the only reason I'm going to tell you this is because, personally, it is starting to creep me out."

"Get to the point already."

"You are being followed by another human. He's watching you right now. It's really starting to get on my nerves. I realize there's no way he can see me, but, because I'm always following behind you wherever you go, I feel like I'm constantly being watched."

Light stopped walking for a split second to listen to his surroundings before continuing.

"That's a problem. I'll have to get rid of him as soon as possible."

 _Who would be following me? Does this mean L is already starting to suspect the police? If he's gonna investigate the police, he'll need a lot of resources and manpower. Even if he has as many as fifty people on the case, I don't see how they could ever figure out that I'm Kira. I shouldn't look like anything other than your average high school senior. But the longer I let this person keep following me, the greater the chance is they'll figure out who I really am. Above all, I need my stalker's name. Once I figured that out, I can get rid of him for good._ Light thought.

"Light, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. What makes a Shinigami and a human who has a Death Note different? Well, there are two things. And why do Shinigami have to write the names of humans in their Death Notes? You got any ideas?"

"Of course not. Why would I know that? You know, you sure are talkative today."

"It's because we are able to take human life spans for ourselves."

"Huh? Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Let's say you have a human who is due to live until the age of sixty and a god of death wrote that this person would die at forty. Sixty minus forty equals twenty. Now those twenty years taken from someone in the human world are added to that god of death's life."

"Huh."

" So it means that as long as we don't slack off, even if someone was to shoot us in the head, or stab us in the heart with a knife, a god of death cannot die. On the other hand, no matter how many names you write in your death note, your lifespan will not increase. That is the first difference between gods of death and humans who possess a death note."

"Haha. That's something about Shinigami that I haven't heard before. Pretty interesting stuff."

"The second difference between us will probably be of even greater interest to you. Though this has less to do with lengthening life and more to do with cutting it short."

"What do you mean cutting it short?"

"Shinigami can tell what the person's name is by just looking at their face. We know instantly. And do you have any idea why? Because through a Shinigami's eyes a human's name can be seen above their head.

Not only that we see their lifespan as well."

"Their name and lifespan?"

"That's right. I'm able to see your name and lifespan right now. If I converted that to human time I could tell you how many years you got left. But there's no way I'd ever tell you that. I may have a big mouth but even I wouldn't go that far. Hahaha. Shinigami never have to worry that they won't be able to kill a person just because they don't know their name. And every time we do take a life we always know exactly how many years we are going to receive. Our eyes just aren't the same and that is the difference between you and I. However, if a Shinigami drops his death note and a human picks it up, he can grant that human the eyes of Shinigami, but only if a deal is made, one that has been with us since ancient times."

"And what's the deal?"

"The price for having the Shinigami's eyes...is half of that person's remaining life span. That's all it is."

"Half my remaining life span?"

"Yeah. In other words, if you are supposed to live another fifty years, it'll be twenty five. If it was one more year, then six months."

"I see. And since you've made it clear you're not on anyone's side, you won't help me out. You wouldn't just give me the names of people I want to kill. Basically, you're saying that I can't simply borrow your powers. I'd have to pay for them."

"That's right. It's a key part of the code that all Shinigami are bound by. I'll say this once more. Give me half your remaining life span, and I'll give you the Shinigami Eyes."

"If I agree, I'll be able to know everyone's name just by looking at them. If I had that power, the Death Note would only be easier to use."

"So, what'll it be, Light? Is it a deal?"


	6. Pursuit

"Has anyone seen Ryuk around lately?"

"Maybe he was serious about losing his notebook?"

"It was probably picked up by some human before he could get to it."

"No way. Then he'd be stuck there 'til the end of that human's life or the Death Note is finished. That could take awhile."

"I can't see Ryuk doing something so boring."

"But you know what? I actually heard he was carrying two Death Notes."

"Seriously why would he need two?"

"Beats me, I'll never understand that guy."

"So, the price of the eyes of the Shinigami is no more than half my remaining life span. That's right, isn't it?" Light asked skeptically.

"Yes. Well than. Do we have a deal or not?" Ryuk grinned.

"Ryuk. This deal is out of the question."

"Huh?"

"Let's get this straight My plan is to create an ideal new world free from evil and all criminals. And I intend to reign as a god in that world for a very long time. I might consider the deal if it lengthened my life, but not if I die sooner. I figured you of all people should know I wouldn't take this deal."

"Yeah. I still felt I should tell you that the deal existed just in case. Anyway I've done my part. I don't need you complaining I didn't tell you this earlier on."

"This is what you call telling me early on? Don't you think you're a little late? I don't see why you couldn't have told me this when we met. Or better yet, you could have simply included it in the instructions for the Death Note."

"Ah. Good point." Ryuk muttered. _He's not the slightest bit daunted by the fact that I'm a Shinigami. He doesn't suck up to me. And he seems to have no problem giving me a hard time._

"Well. You're sure there's nothing else you want to tell me ahead of time, Shinigami?"

"No. Nothing else. Nah. Probably."

"Really? That's too bad."

"What do you mean?

"You know Ryuk, I might have seriously considered the deal if you'd offered me wings instead of eyes. Just the idea flying around freely in the sky sounds very godlike. After all it's been mankind's dream since antiquity to be able to fly."

"You'd stand out if you sprouted wings and flew around. Not to mention the police would have no trouble finding you.

"I was only joking. Anyway if I keep bargaining for eyes and wings and whatever else, next thing you know I'm gonna end up becoming a real Shinigami. Though who knows. I bet that could be pretty interesting."

"I wouldn't worry. Even without the eyes and the wings, you are already a worthy Shinigami. The Shinigami realm is slowly rotting. We lead meaningless and empty lives. And the only reason we still take human lives is because we are afraid to die ourselves. The truth of the matter is that we no longer even know why we exist. In fact I doubt there's any reason for our existence at all. What I'm saying is, compared to that, you are becoming a much more impressive Shinigami."

"I don't know about that, I mean, from what you are telling me, it sounds like I'm doing a lot more work than they are. But I don't want to be compared to a Shinigami. I'm a human using this Death Note to make the world a better place for other humans. But I wouldn't necessarily say that the Shinigami realm is meaningless to humans, either."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Well, just think about it. Whenever a Shinigami like you comes to the human world once every hundred, no more like every thousand years, the human world changes dramatically. The existence of the Shinigami realm is extremely significant."

"Really?"

"You told me just now that the Shinigami realm is slowly rotting, right? Well, when you return from this world, why not use what you've learned here to try and change it for the better?"

"Well, Light, I'm not sure why I never noticed this until now, but you are quite the positive thinker."

"Haha. Yeah. Of course, I am. That's why I'm using the Death Note to create a better world.

You have to be a positive thinker to even attempt something like this. That's it. I got it."

"Got what? What is this about?"

"I think I just figured out how to find the name of the guy who was following me today."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"I'm gonna use the rules of the Death Note to my advantage. I already know that if I write down a cause of death, I've got six minutes and forty seconds to record the conditions and exact time of death. First I need to know exactly how far I can go in terms of specifying the details of death.

It should be interesting."

"Yeah. It's me. Another six inmates were found dead last night? All were heart attacks? It's him. What? Huh? Bizarre behavior before they died? Could you be more specific? What do you mean? So they didn't just die from heart attacks?" Soichiro Yagami was on the phone.

"No. What I'm saying is they all died of heart attacks but it wasn't quite that simple. Before one of them died, he drew a pentagram on the wall of his cell using his own blood. Another left a letter but it doesn't seem to be a will or anything meaningful. And as for the third victim, he escaped from his cell and ran all the way to the staff bathrooms before he died." The man of the other side specified.

"What is it, Watari?" L asked.

"Three more heart attack victims. But the circumstances of their deaths are different from what we've seen thus far." Watari replied.

"Wait. What do you mean by different?" K questioned.

"I'm sending you a copy of a letter as well as pictures taken at the scene." Watari emailed the photos to L's computer. L and K sat on the ground watching the screen side-by-side.

"OK. It sounds like he was afraid that Kira would find him. It's believable that our victim might've been genuinely afraid and wrote this. But we know Kira can control the time of death.

What if he can also determine the actions in the moments leading up to death. In which case.." K muttered.

"Chief." L called out.

"Hm?" The chief called out.

"We can't release details of these men's deaths to the media. As far as they are concerned, these are just heart attacks." The two detectives said together. "I have reason to believe that Kira was performing some kind of test using these criminals. If that's the case, we'd only be giving him the results if this information is leaked to the public."

"Right. I understand." Soichiro nodded.

"So now he is experimenting on his victims?" An officer scowled.

"Horrible." Another muttered. "He is playing with people's lives, as if all this was just a game. It's unforgivable."

"If Kira is really using criminals as test subjects, what is he trying to achieve?" L muttered.

"Look at this, Ryuk. I think we are in luck. The results of yesterday's little test have already been downloaded onto my Dad's computer." Light said, scrolling through his father's computer. "And these results are just as I expected. The Death Note will work for what I have in mind."

"What do you mean by that?" Ryuk wondered.

"One of them escaped and ran into the bathroom I had specified in the Death Note. Another one drew the same symbol I had drawn in the Death Note before he died. And finally, a third wrote the same letter I had written in the Death Note word for word." Light clarified. "All three did exactly what I intended them to do. For the other three inmates, I purposely wrote conditions that were virtually impossible."

"Huh?" Ryuk was confused.

"With the first one I wrote that he would die in front of the Eiffel tower in one hour. However, everyone knows that it is physically impossible to go from a prison in Japan to Paris, France in only one hour. Since this couldn't happen, he simply died of a heart attack in prison." Light described. "The next was supposed to draw an exact picture of L's face on the prison wall.

This also didn't happen. You can't draw someone you've never seen, right?"

"Make sense." Ryuk agreed.

"With the last one I tried something slightly different. I specified that he would write a note that read 'I know that L is suspicious of the Japanese police.' To be honest, I actually expected this one to work." Light said. "But it didn't end up happening. Which means, it's impossible to make someone write what they don't already know. Or at the very least it has to be the kind of thing they could come up with on their own. Basically even the Death Note can't do the impossible.

But as long as it's within the realistic limits of what a person might do, I can control them as much as I want before they die."

"That's very clever. But what's all this leading to? What's the point?"

"These latest victims will no doubt keep L, K, and the police guessing. Even as we speak, he's probably trying to decipher all the clues I left for him. Especially that little note. That absolutely meaningless dying message."

"If Kira used those criminals to conduct an experiment of some sort, it means he's about to start something." L thought out loud.

"If he moves now, there's a good chance that the FBI would notice someone acting suspiciously. But perhaps he has a different goal in mind altogether. Could the pentagram and this letter be some kind of message?" K continued.

"Ha! Is this it?" L found something. K moved over to sit beside her old friend. Her long black hair fell over her face as she looked down to his computer and read across the top of the message, "L, and K do you know?"

"All right. Time for the real thing." Light smirked.

"Real thing?" Ryuk asked

"Yesterday on the news they said this drug addict tried to rob a bank but was unsuccessful." Light started. "He attacked a few people and then ran away empty-handed. I'll use him.

It's kind of last minute but I'm sure I can find someone. I've got a few people in mind." Light continued.

"A few people?" Ryuk questioned. "For what?"

"You'll see. Believe it or not, I'm actually a rather popular guy, Ryuk." Light bragged.

"H-hello. Um, Light? Oh, morning." A girl said into her phone.

"He's still following me. Perfect." Light noted. "This whole thing will just be a waste of time if he wasn't tailing me."

"Light!"Yuri called.

"A date?" Ryuk was taken aback.

"Yeah. It's a date no matter how you look at it. I'm sure even my stalker will see it that way." Light agreed.

"But this isn't just a date, is it? You said that you'd figured out a way to find your stalker's name." Ryuk stared at him. "So tell me, what do you plan on doing?"

"Huh? C'mon. Didn't you see what I wrote in the Death Note? I explained it in great detail." Light sighed.

"No. Doing that would take all the fun out of it." Ryuk said.

"In that case, just be patient and watch what happens." Light exhaled. "Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, not at all. Anyway, I haven't been to Spaceland since junior high. I'm so excited. And the best part is, I have you all to myself." Yuri exclaimed, circling around the brunette.

"Uh, yeah." Light smiled.

"During the week he goes to school and cram school at night. Dates on his day off. A normal kid, just a hard working senior in high school." The man observed. "Chief Yagami's son, Light Yagami. No cause for suspicion. At any rate, I'll be done with my surveillance today. And that'll be it."

"I don't get it, Light." The girl pouted. "Didn't you say you weren't going out until entrance exams were over?"

"That was before I scored No. 1 on the national practice exams." Light smiled.

"Ah, you're such a nerd." Yuri rolled her eyes.

A man with a crazed expression entered the bus.

 _It's him. He's here. Seven passengers excluding him. No one's in the way. Everything should go smoothly_. Light thought as the man pulled out a gun and cocked it.

"Ah!" The driver screamed.

"Stay in your seats unless you want to die." The hijacker commanded.

"Ahh." Yuri wasn't even trying to hide the fear in her eyes.

 _A bus jacking?_ The stalker thought. _You gotta be kidding me._

"Everybody, shut up." The man shouted. "If anybody moves, I'm putting a bullet in their head.

All right driver, you listen to me.I know you've got the number for Spaceland's office on you.

Call'em!"

"OK." The man dialed the number and held the phone to his ear. "This-this is Sasaki, calling from bus 174."

"Tell'em what's goin' on and no tricks, either." The man demanded.

"My bus's been hijacked. And he's holding a gun to my head." The driver explained.

"Give me that. You heard what he said. Now you listen up. Have a female staff member bring all of Spaceland's cash from yesterday. I know it's there. Have her meet us two bus stops from the park and don't make me wait." The drug addict snatched the phone away from the driver. "If you mess with me at all, or try to get the police involved, I swear I'll kill every one of these passengers."

"Yuri, don't be scared. As soon as he turns around, I'm gonna grab the gun out of his hand." Light whispered.

"Don't be stupid. That's risky. If it comes to that, I'll take care of it. It's OK." The man behind them muttered. "We don't have to pass notes back and forth. As long as we keep it down, he won't be able to hear our voices over the sound of the engine."

"Do you have any proof that you are not his accomplice? Why should we trust you?" Light murmured.

"Accomplice?" She said wide-eyed.

"Yes. I've read about this before." Light recalled. "The first hijacker comes in like he is working alone. Meanwhile a second one pretends to be a hostage and stays in the very back just in case something goes wrong. What's the matter?"

"You-you really think he is one?" Yuri whispered worried.

 _I..I have no choice. I'm sure Light Yagami isn't Kira. If he was, he could just kill this guy with a heart attack_. The man thought. "Here's my proof. Take a look."

He handed Light an ID.

"FBI? I see." _L needed an outsider, so he got the FBI to investigate anyone connected to the Japanese police. His name is Raye Penber._ "I trust you. And I guess for the time being I won't bother asking what an FBI agent is doing on the bus in the first place. Do you have a gun?"

"Yeah. I've got one." Raye responded.

"So if it comes down to it, I can rely on you, right?" Light inquired.

"Yes." Raye nodded.

"Shut the hell up, you old hag. You want me to shoot you right now?" The criminal shouted.

 _That's right. This guy. His face was all over the local news just a few days ago._ The agent remembered.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you grandma!" Continued the convict.

 _Some junkie. He tried to rob a bank, ended up killing three people before he got away. He's extremely dangerous._

 _We are safe. He won't shoot us. In fact, he's not gonna do anything._ Light smirked.

"Don't move, you little punk." The junkie shouted, as a piece of paper fell out of Light's pocket. "What the hell is that? Hey, a smart ass. You guys were planning something back here, weren't you?"

 _Damn it. If he sees that note from before, he'll find out that Light was planning to jump him and take his gun away._ Raye thought.

"Plans for a date, huh? Stupid kid." The man snarled.

 _Gotcha._ Light smirked

"W-who the hell are you? You in the very back." The hijacker stammered, looking straight at Ryuk. "What do you think you're doing? Don't mess with me. How long have you been hiding back there?"

"What's this? You are talking to me? So you mean you can actually see me right now?" Ryuk laughed.

"Stay there, you. You keep away from me, you freak." The robber screamed.

 _This isn't good! He's hallucinating._ He shouted, "Everyone, get down!"

"Oh, I get it. That little note that Light accidentally dropped was actually torn from the pages of the Death Note itself. Since he tricked this guy into touching the paper, he's the only other one on the bus who can see me. That's so smart." The Shinigami realized.

"Get away!" The man emptied his gun, trying to shoot Ryuk.

"Sorry, pal. I'm a Shinigami, so I'm afraid your bullets aren't gonna kill me."

"Ahhhh!"

"Anyone who touches the Death Note can see me. I have to stay till the Death Note is finished or I see you die, whichever comes first. And a Shinigami can't die from being shot. I've said all these things at one time or another. Well he is the top grade student in the country. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. He even used this hijacking as a way to get the guy following him to willingly give up his name." Ryuk sighed.

"Stop the bus! Let me off!" The criminal screamed.

The man ran off the bus and immediately was hit by a car.

 _11:45 on the dot. Everything went just as I planned. Kiichiro Osoreda. Accidental death._

 _Boards the 11:31 Spaceland bound bus near the eastern entrance to the park, holding a loaded gun and attempts to hijack the sees a horrific phantom and empties his gun trying to kill it. Terrified, he flees the bus. Immediately afterwards at 11:45, he dies when struck by a Death Note never fails. You will be next, Raye Penber._ Light smirked.


	7. Tactics

"You there." The FBI agent called out.

"Yeah?"Light asked.

"Listen carefully. I came to Japan as part of a secret investigation so the local police can't find out that… And that I…" Raye started.

"I understand." Light agreed. "I promise I won't tell anyone that I met you. And of course, that includes my father."

"Well then, please excuse me." Raye walked away.

 _It's just as I thought. Anyway I don't want the police to know that I've come into contact with an FBI agent, either. If my father ever found out, there's no doubt he let L know. It's obvious he doesn't suspect me. And as for the police, I'm sure they treat this as just another unfortunate accident._ Light thought.

"Hey, welcome back." A young woman greeted.

"Huh, what a day!" Raye sighed.

"Raye, what's the matter?" The lady asked. "Something happened, didn't it? I've never heard you sigh like that."

"Yeah. The bus I was on got hijacked, if you can believe it." The agent exhaled.

"A bus-jacking?"

"Some junkie robbed a bank two days ago, and I guess he wanted to try to take on a bus today. I didn't think this kind of thing happened here."

"So you were already riding the bus when the hijacker got on?"

"Yeah. And in the end the guy freaked out, jumped off the bus and got hit by a car."

"Did he die?" A shadow crossed over her face.

"Yeah. Probably. I couldn't really stick around to see what happened to him."

"You know."

"Hm?"

"It's a little hard to believe that was all a coincidence, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. You got on a bus because you were investigating someone, right? And now you are telling me this criminal is most likely dead. Doesn't that suggest that you…"

"That's enough. Look, darling. You and I know you used to be one of the best agents in the FBI. But now you are my fiancee, Naomi. We talked about this. You are not an agent any more, so just leave it alone."

"But…"

"You wouldn't get involved in the Kira case, and you wouldn't do anything dangerous. That was what you promised when we decided you'd come with me so I can meet your parents in Japan.

You do remember that, don't you?"

"Yeah. I guess you are right. It's just force of habit. Sorry about that."

"No. I should be sorry. Let's forget about it. Anyway once we have a few kids running around, you'd probably be so busy you will forget you were ever an agent. Your mind will be occupied with better things, too. More importantly, tell me how I can convince your Dad I'm worthy with his daughter. Kira doesn't scare me half as much as he does."

"Oh, let me guess." Ryuk asked. "You are about to write down the name of that agent, aren't you? The one from the bus."

"Not yet. I'm gonna wait one week before writing his name." Light explained. "If he dies right after meeting me, I'll only draw attention to myself. I'll write his name in here once I've given him time to investigate more people with ties to the police. It will be less obvious that way. In the meantime I think I use some those inmates I've been keeping alive to play around with L a little more."

"L. K." Watari started.

"Hm?" the two detectives asked.

"Another victim. This one left what appears to be a suicide note." The man explained.

"Please, send it to us." L asked, and almost immediately a letter appeared on the screen.

" 'Gods of Death',.." K read... "'L, and K, do you know'", "'gods of death'..."

"Is he trying to tell us that gods of death exist?" L asked her.

"I don't know anymore." K admitted.

"Listen, Watari. Tell the police to monitor prison populations closely for the next few days.

Kira may use other suicide notes to communicate with us." L spoke into the mic.

"Understood." Watari nodded.

"This place is crawling with humans." The blue haired shinigami noted. "Are you gonna do it here?"

"Let's just say you're about to see the results of all the research and experiments I've been doing over the last few days." Light explained.

"Experiments?" Ryuk asked.

"Yeah. I've been using known criminals who live in this part of the town to test out different killing methods and I've learned a lot about the death note. For example if I write a cause of death and the circumstances leading up to it, I can add a name afterwards and it'll still happen." Light clarified.

"Ohh, even I didn't know that one." Ryuk looked impressed.

"He's here. Right on time." Light walked behind the FBI agent. "Mr. Raye Pember.

Turn around and you are dead. I am Kira."

Raye took a sharp inhale of breath.

"That's right." Light smirked. "Don't turn around or put your hands in your pockets.

I won't hesitate to kill you here."

 _It couldn't be. This voice. I've heard it somewhere._ Raye thought

"But first, I'm gonna prove to you that I am Kira. Do you see the man working over there at the coffee shop? That's right. The one sweeping the floor. I'm gonna kill him just for you." Light whispered.

 _But how?_ "Don't do it." Raye said.

"Ughh." The man collapsed.

"I'm afraid I had no choice but to kill him. I figured if I didn't kill at least one person, you wouldn't believe me, although that man has been repeatedly charged with sexual assault. He's managed to avoid conviction every time due to lack of evidence. He was a menace to society.

He got what he deserved. I can only assume that L has already informed you of this, I can't kill someone who I haven't seen. I have to know their face. Which means, of course, I could easily kill all these people right now if I wanted to do. Go ahead and choose someone if you want." Light explained.

"Don't do it. I believe you. You are Kira."

"I'm sure you care more about your loved ones than any of these people here. Imagine how you'd feel if one of them was killed just because you refused to cooperate. I think you should consider them the real hostages at the moment."

"How do you know about her?"

"Haha. You seem surprised. I've been investigating you. And if you don't do exactly as I say, she will die. And so will the rest of your family, including you. And that's a promise."

"I...I understand. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"I see you've got your laptop with you. I want the files containing the identities of all the FBI agents who came to Japan."

"I do have my laptop with me. It's the one I use for work, but I don't have the files you're looking for."

"All right. Then, take this envelope."

"Huh?"

"First, take the transceiver out of the envelope, then put the earpiece in and await my instructions." Light instructed, then walked away.

 _A transceiver. This thing looks like a toy. But there'll be no record of this transmission anywhere._

 _And it allows us to converse from a close distance even underground. He really thought this through._

"All right. Now get on the Yamanote Line. Inner or outer route, it doesn't matter which direction you take. I'll be close by at all times, which means I'll be watching your every move. When you get on the train, pick a spot in front of you and don't take your eyes off it. If I see you looking around, I will kill you. Once you boarded, I want you to take the seat closest to the doors. If it's occupied, wait until it's free."

"Now I'm going to ask you something. If I have even the slightest suspicion that you are not being honest, your girlfriend is as good as dead. How many FBI agents are currently in Japan?

Speak quietly into the transceiver and don't make it obvious."

"I believe it's four teams, three agents per team, for a total of twelve." Raye whispered into the mic.

"OK. Now take the papers out of the envelope."

 _Hum? What is this?_

"Of those twelve agents you mentioned, I want you to write down the name of your superior, the one who's heading up this investigation, in the space at the very top of the page."

 _What is the meaning of this? What is he after? Let's face it. He hasn't really left me any choice._

 _Besides, it's not like he can kill them using just their names._

"Next, take out your laptop and turn it on. Any minute now your boss is going to send you a message with a file attachment, it contains the names and photos of all the FBI agents currently active in Japan."

 _But this...this is.._

"Now one by one you're going to look at each photo and then write that agent's name in the space provided, you are going to do this for each agent."

 _It doesn't make sense. If he's got the names already, why use me? What is he planning to do with them?_

"Good. Looks like you're done. Now put the transceiver and all the papers back into the original envelope and place them on the rack directly above your head. After that you're going to stay in your seat and ride the train for at least another thirty minutes. When you are absolutely certain that nobody would notice you leaving without the envelope, you can get off the train."

 _I know that voice. Why on earth can't I remember who it belongs to? Kira, who are you?_ Raye thought as he walked out of the bus. "Ughh!"

The man fell face forward as his heart fail.

 _Light Yagami._ The man realized.

"Farewell, Raye Pember." Light smirked

 _Raye Pember wrote all of those names on pages taken from the death note. Ironic. Without even realizing it, he was actually signing a death warrant for all of his colleagues. As for Pember's boss, he died of a heart attack after sending all of his agents a file. And the other eleven investigators, they all died of heart attacks after receiving the same file._ Light smiled evilly.

"L, you have a call from the director of the FBI." Watari spoke.

"It's me. I've got a report in front of me right now stating that all of our agents in Japan are dead.

All twelve died of heart attacks. I can only assume that Kira is behind this. Look, I'm sorry, but it's already decided. We are calling off our investigation." The Director of the FBI sighed.

"I have chief Yagami on the line." Watari continued.

"L, I've just got off the phone with the director of the FBI. According to him, it seems that you arranged for the FBI to come to Japan and investigate everyone here associated with the task force." Soichiro demanded.

"Actually, we did, not I did." K specified.

"So how do you explain this?" Soichiro yelled. "Are we now suspects in our own investigation?"

"I felt that it was necessary to uncover Kira's identity." K explained.

"I cannot accept that. I found it unbelievable that you would spy on us." The Chief hollered. "The very people working with you on this case."

"Hear that?"

"Well, I knew all along we couldn't trust that guy."

"More importantly, Kira killed those FBI agents, didn't he?"

"It's obvious he'll kill anyone who gets in his way, whether they're criminals or not."

"So much for his sense of justice. He's a murderer."

"We have another victim." Watari reported. "A note was found at the scene."

"L, and K, do you know", "gods of death"..

"Hum? "Love apples"." L continued.

"Damn you, Kira." K snarled.

"He's dead...Raye's dead. No. He was murdered by Kira." Naomi cried.

"Um, so what's the family meeting, Dad?" Sayu asked

"I figured you're going to find out sooner or later. So I might as well tell you now. I don't want you to be alarmed." their father announced. "I'm sure you've heard of this Kira investigation.

Well, I'm currently in charge of it."

"What? Are you serious? That's totally awesome, Dad. You're the best cop ever." Sayu praised.

"That's not quite the point I'm trying to make." the head of the Yagami family sighed.

"Oh?" the little girl asked.

"You see the truth is, the FBI sent 12 of their agents to Japan to assist us in finding Kira and all of them died yesterday." Soichiro explained.

"Does that mean they were all killed by Kira?" Light questioned.

"What?" exclaimed Sayu.

"What I'm saying is, there's a chance that Kira will actually try to kill anyone who comes after him. His crimes are ruthless and more frightening than anything we've seen. Many detectives have already quit." Chief clarified.

"Dad, you should quit, too." Sayu pleaded. "I don't want you to die. What if he gets you?"

"That's right. Your life is so much more important than some job." Sachiko agreed.

"I can't. I could never forgive myself if I walked away from this." The man decided, "I will not sit back and let evil triumph.'

"But, Dad, you.." Sayu started.

"Please, dear.."

"I think it's honorable of you, Dad. I'm proud to be able to call you my father." Light stood up. "And if anything should ever happen to you, I'm going to find Kira. And make sure he gets executed."

"We now know that Kira doesn't just target criminals. He'll kill anyone who opposes him.

It's quite possible that we may all be killed by Kira. Think of your own lives, your families and all the others you'd be leaving behind. If anyone wants to leave this investigation, now is the time. You won't be demoted if you choose not to stay. You have my word. But if you are not absolutely sure, then we don't need you. You have to be willing to fight against him, even if that means making the ultimate sacrifice. That is all." Chief explained the situation.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

"I'm not sure."

"Oh, yeah. That's him, alright. There's no doubt about it. I remember him because he told us to get down." The bus driver recalled . "But I don't really remember any of the other passengers."

"I see. Well, thanks for talking with me, anyway. I appreciate it." Naomi thanked. _(reflection) It's a bit of long shot, but if what I'm thinking is right, Kira could be one of the passengers on the bus that day. If that is the case, then I know that he is close enough to use this bus route._

"Five men, huh. Well six, including myself. Still I'm grateful to see there are as many as five of you willing to risk your lives to face evil." the Chief sighed.

"That fact you've chosen to stay means you have a strong sense of justice. I trust all of you." L decided.

"I guess so." K stated.

"Ha, h-hold on a second. L just said that he's decided to trust us now, but honestly what reason do we have to trust him?" Aizawa reasoned.

"Look, L, and K. All of us have agreed to put our lives at risk to bring Kira to justice. So I hope you understand what this means." Ide continued. "We were really stickin' our necks out here."

"But you two never have to show your face, do you? You guys just give the orders."Aizawa ranted. "I don't see how you can expect us to work alongside you under those conditions."

"L, and Kif all of us are going to work together on this investigation, and if you truly meant what you said about trusting the six of us, could you come here so we can all meet in person." Soichiro requested.

"The thought had already crossed my mind. After all I did say that I trusted all of you." L said. Watari turned the laptop around as L typed a message.

"Why is he seeking help now? There's only six of us. He solved all these difficult cases by himself in the past, so what makes this one so different? The way L's been conducting things so far, odds are he's gonna send a stand-in or a proxy of some kind to meet us instead of coming himself. It's not like we'd ever know." Ide asked skeptically.

"A proxy, huh? Well, that is possible." Aizawa agreed. "And what about K, are we even sure if she will be there?"

"I believe L, and K. I think we can trust them. And besides, I don't really see how we can solve this case without his help." Matsuda argued.

"I agree." Mogi nodded.

"From the beginning they've been very upfront about the fact that they would need the help of the police on this case. Perhaps we should think of it like… they've been waiting for this to happen all along." The Chief realized.

"Why would he do something like that?" Matsuda inquired.

"There were number of people on the task force who distrusted the two of them before this investigation began. And once we got started, we had detectives resigning left and right.

Following that, classified information was leaked. So I'm not surprised that they didn't trust us." Soichiro explained.

"In other words the were waiting for the task force to get narrowed down to only those investigators he could trust. And to do that, he needed to weed out anyone who wasn't totally committed." Matsuda figured out.

"Hmm." the Chief nodded.

"If we're working with those people, I'm leaving the task force." Ide walked away. "You don't have to worry. I won't try to follow you. I'm not interested in finding L. Or K."

"Well I think we can trust L, so I'd be willing to cooperate with him on this investigation." Ukita shrugged.

"Count me in." Aizawa agreed.

"I'm staying in a suite at the Teito hotel at the moment. But I'll be switching hotels every few days from this point on." L instructed. "I want you to think these hotel rooms as the de facto headquarters of this investigation. If this arrangement is acceptable to all of you, then split into two groups, and stagger your arrivals so you come thirty minutes apart. Please arrange it so you are all here at midnight. I'm not sure if K will be there, she's not here at the moment."

 _Kira, it seems we are getting closer to each other in equal steps. It's only a matter of time, before we collide, so be it. I'm ready to show my face.I'll make my first public appearance as L. If you ever manage to find out about these secret meetings, I'm sure you'd feel compelled to move in._

 _That's what I'm counting on._ L thought

 _It's the first time in two years since a stranger has seen me… I will survive…. I hope._ K sighed.

 _I've been quite active over these last few days. Think carefully. Was there anything I missed? And what comes next? There are endless possibilities. The real battle is only just beginning. L, K..._

The sound of knocking filled the room.

"It's unlocked. Please. Let yourselves in." L invited.


	8. Unraveling

"Oh?" The task force was taken aback.

"I am L." The black haired man said. His eyes were ringed with black from lack of sleep. His hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, and he was slouched over.

"This is him? Hm." Soichiro doubted.

"He's nothing like I thought he would be." Matsuda agreed.

"Hmmm... I'm Yagami of the NPA." The chief introduced himself.

"Matsuda."

"I'm Aizawa."

"Mogi."

"Ukita."

"I'm very sorry we're late. Currently the five of us are…" The chief explained as L raised his arm, finger gun intact.

"Bang." His monotone voice said.

"What the hell was that?" Aizawa demanded.

"If I were Kira, you'd be dead, Mr. Soichiro Yagami, chief of the NPA." L explained

"Oh."

"Kira needs a face and a name in order to commit murder. But I'm sure you've already figured that much out, haven't you? Please do not give out your name so carelessly. Instead, let's value our lives."

"I knew that he needed a face to kill someone, but I don't remember any evidence to show that he needed a name, too." Matsuda marvelled.

"There is no way to verify if this is related, but criminals whose names were never released publicly or whose names were spelled incorrectly in the media have not been targeted. We briefly went over it at one of our meetings." Soichiro began.

"That's enough small talk for now. Come this way." L asked.

"Oh, oh, right." Matsuda agreed.

"Please turn off all your cell phones, handhelds and any other communication devices, and leave them on the table right there." L commanded.

"What do you think? we're gonna be using our cell phones during this meeting to leak information?" Aizawa demanded.

"It's all right. Just do as he says." Soichiro assured.

"I realize he's been cautious from the very beginning, but I still can't tell if he trusts us or not." Matsuda chimed in.

"No. I just find them distracting. I can't stand it when people's cell phones are ringing while I'm trying to talk. I'm also sure K would not appreciate it either." L clarified.

"Where is K anyways." Matsuda asked.

"Honestly, I don't know, maybe her room? But anyways let me start by saying nobody takes notes on anything that's said in these meetings. That means when we will leave headquarters, any information we need is committed to memory. Please make yourselves comfortable." L instructed, while sitting in a crouched position, and his hands on his knees.

"Um. Right." Soichiro nodded.

"Excuse me, L." Matsuda began.

"Hm? From now on, I'll have to ask that you stop calling me L. It's Ryuzaki now, just to be safe."

"Ryu!" A feminine voice called out. "Who's here?"

"Um… L- I mean, Ryuzaki. I don't think it's the best time to have a random girl in here right now." Matsuda complained.

"Wha?" L asked.

"Hey. Who are you calling random?" A girl wearing all black, except for the silver chain that hung from her neck, appeared in the doorway. Her waist-length black hair fell over half of her face. She even wore high-heels. "That's no way to address K."

"You're K?" The task force asked.

"What?! Y'all believe this guy to be L," she gestured towards Ryuzaki, "why not me as K?"

"But you're like, what? 17?" Matsuda questioned.

"No, I'm 20." K responded.

"So shouldn't you be in college." Matsuda continued.

"Once again, no. I started college when I was 16, then I graduated two years ago."

"What college?"

"Yale."

"What major?"

"Criminal Law and Justice, Psychology Applied to Business, Education, and Law, Chemistry, Crime and Correction, and Gender Studies." She said, counting the degrees off.

"Woah. You did that in two years?"

"What does this have to do with the investigation?" K raised an eyebrow.

"Uhh..,"

"Why do you always have to make such a dramatic entrance." L exasperated.

"I did not!" K denied.

"Don't act like you weren't planning every word in your room." L accused.

K took off her stiletto, throwing it at her companion, hitting him in the face.

"Ow. That really hurt you know." L said, as the rest of the task force just stared at them in astonishment.

"Ughhh. Can we just start this damn meeting? Oh and before I forget, please refer to me as Silena Chan from here on out." K sat down with one leg hugging her chest and the other hanging off the edge of the chair like normal people sit.

"Actually we were already in meeting before you interrupted." L pointed out.

"You little-" K started, reaching for something in her jacket.

"Ah, OK, Ryuzaki." Matsuda interrupted. "Anyways, if we know that he needs a name and a face to kill, couldn't we cut down on the numbers of victims by keeping criminals' names from the news?"

"If we do that, we'll only be putting the general public at risk." K answered, her anger finally under control.

"The general public? Why?" Ukita asked.

"Kira is childish and he hates losing." L and K said together.

"But how do you...?" Matsuda began.

"Just what do you mean?" Soichiro continued.

"Well, I'm also childish and I hate to lose." L explained. "That's how I know."

"I second that." K grinned.

"Ryuzaki. Would you mind being a little more specific for us?" The chief requested.

"Early on the investigation, I tried to provoke Kira with that broadcast. Up until then, we thought that Kira would only go after criminals, but as we all witnessed, he didn't hesitate to kill my stand-in. Also as soon as I said we knew he was in the Kanto region, in defiance he made sure his next victims came from within Japan, as if to say, "what are you gonna do about it?"

He's met each of my challenges head on and he's never missed an opportunity to return the favor." L clarified.

"Now what do you think would happen if we try to use media restrictions to hide criminals from someone like that?" K went on.

"I guess…" Matsuda realized.

"'If you choose to withhold the names of your worst criminals, I'll kill petty criminals or the innocent. I'm holding the whole world hostage, so who's it gonna be? I'm not the evil one here, but all those who oppose me by hiding criminals, you are truly evil'" L explained.

"That's exactly how Kira thinks. In any case, let's look at another way we can use the media to draw him out." K concluded.

"But how?" Aizawa questioned.

"How about something like this?" K started, glancing at L, who nodded.

"'Death of FBI agents infuriates the U.S.''Latest killings anger the international policing community.''Nations agree to send 1500 investigators to Japan.'" L continued on.

"For Kira this would be way beyond what he faced with the FBI. He'll see everyone is a potential threat. Psychologically, he'll start to feel cornered, and that would cause him to take some kind of drastic action." K finished off.

"That's interesting." Ukita put in.

"So he'll think there are 1500, when there're really only 8 of us. And since none of these investigators exist, Kira won't be able to kill them." Aizawa agreed.

"It just might work." Ukita nodded in agreement.

"Well before we celebrate, we'll tell you the rest of our thoughts in the Kira case." L said.

"Kira works alone. He had access to all our classified information." K started.

"What evidence do you have that he's working alone?"

"Hold on, Aizawa. Let's listen to their entire theory before asking questions."

"We know he needs a name and a face to kill, and to some extent he can control a victim's time of death and their actions before dying." L continued.

"We already know that much. Please keep that in mind. And listen carefully to what we have to say next." K instructed as both she and L uncapped a marker and started writing on the table.

"On December 14th, 12 FBI investigators entered Japan."

"Here we are on December 19th. Using prisoned inmates, Kira conducts experiments manipulating his victims' actions before they die."

"In other words, during this window of only five days, Kira became aware of the FBI's presence and obviously felt threatened."

"Because he didn't know any of their names or faces, he was at a disadvantage. He needed to know how much control he had over his victims before he could use it against the 12 agents."

"And as we all know, on December 27th..."

 _I got a hold of a file which contained all the names and faces of the FBI investigators in Japan, and I succeeded in killing each one of them. It's practically impossible to guess which agent gave the file to Kira. But I have to make sure that no one ever finds out that I came into contact with Raye Penber._ Light thought.

"Huh? How come you're not using the Death Note today? You studying for those entrance exams?" Ryuk asked

"Those are the least of my worries. Plus it's a little late to start now." Light responded.

"Oh? What are you doing?" Ryuk questioned.

"December 19th to December 27th, I've been most active during this period." Light thought out loud.

"During this period, to the best of our knowledge, at least 23 individuals died of heart attacks.

But these victims were different from Kira's previous targets." K explained.

"They were all alleged criminals, ex-convicts or suspects in ongoing investigations.

So legally speaking, they were innocent." L continued

"That's true." Soichiro agreed.

"What this indicates is that Kira had to manipulate these lesser criminals in order to kill those FBI agents." K said.

"He killed that many people, so he would be unable to tell the decoys from those who were actually used." L nodded.

"In truth, he probably only needed a few. He waited 8 days so the FBI could investigate other suspects, which meant there'd be no timeline linking him to their deaths." K concluded.

"I suspect Kira had to be one of the people being investigated by the FBI between the 14th and the 19th of December. In fact I have no doubt. These are files provided by the FBI, and they contain additional information you might find useful. For obvious reasons, you are not permitted to take these out of this room, but…" the two detectives finished together, drawing a 'x' through the timeline.

"Amazing! There might only be five of us, but with this much information we should be able to cover a lot of ground." Matsuda exclaimed.

"We'll split into two teams: one team traces the FBI agents. The other looks at the heart attack victims." Aizawa planned.

"There weren't that many people who had access to information from the headquarters, and of those the FBI only investigated a small group in the first five days." Matsuda pointed out.

"Yeah." Aizawa agreed,

"So, does anyone have any questions?" L asked.

"Ah?"

"Actually Ryuzaki and Silena, I do have one question for you two." Soichiro started. "And it pertains to what you said to us earlier about how you hate to lose. Does the fact that you've shown your own face means that you've lost? By just being here are you admitting defeat to Kira?"

"That's right." L answered.

"Yes. By showing our faces to you now and by sacrificing the lives of 12 FBI agents, we have lost the battle." K responded.

"But we're not gonna lose the war. This is the first time we've ever put our lives on the line.

We want to show Kira that we're all willing to risk our lives if that's what it takes, and that justice will prevail no matter what." the two detectives smiled, determined.

"Hey, yeah. That's right." Mogi grinned.

"I like the sound of that." Matsuda said.

"We can do this." Ukita added.

"All right, then, let's do this, you two." Aizawa agreed.

 _Well, I had my doubts about whether it was really them at first. But there is no mistaking it. This man is L. And this woman is K._ Soichiro thought.

"Before we go any further, we have to be absolutely sure that none of you are Kira. So we need to speak with each of you individually before you leave today." L and K said together before walking over to stand by the window.

"Ha! What's the deal? They still doesn't trust us?" Aizawa protested.

"No. I think it's a fair request. Try to see it from their perspective. Kira's been getting information from our headquarters from the very beginning. So there is a good chance that he is one of us." Yagami mentioned.

"Chief's right. Working this case has given us a chance to see them in person." Matsuda agreed.

"They're risking their lives to be here." Aizawa realized.

 _Things are going well. Just one clue. Single decisive factor is all I need._ L thought.

 _Just one oversight. A single piece of evidence is all it would take. It could cost me my life._ Light contemplated.

 _Just one thing_.

"You already finished studying?" Ryuk asked.

"I guess. I'll be fine. I haven't missed anything. The biggest risk I've taken so far was that bus-jacking incident. But they will never be able to connect it with Kira." Light sighed. "Fortunately for me, both the police and L don't know that Kira can kill people by means other than a heart attack. However, if anyone were to discover that fact, I'd be in a lot of trouble."

"What? Does it have to be now?" Sayu asked.

"Your father's been pulling overnighters with no change of clothes, so you're going to bring these to him." Their mother explained.

"But Mom, I totally promised my friends that I would go out with them today." Sayu complained.

"Why don't I go? I could use a break." Light offered.

"Thanks, Light. I owe you one next time." Sayu beamed.

"So I guess this'll give you a chance to spy on the police." Ryuk questioned

"I won't go further than the reception desk." Light denied, as he ripped a page from the Death Note.

"Ohh, you're bringing a page." Ryuk smirked. "Planning to kill someone?"

"No, but lately I'm bringing a page with me every time I go out, just in case." Light explained.

 _That day...Raye said he was planning to go to Shinjuku. That same day, four people died of heart attacks in the Shinjuku area. And there was the bus-jacking. There's no way it was a coincidence. That's it! Kira can kill in other ways. It doesn't have to be a heart attack._ Naomi realized as she arrived in front of the police headquarters.

"The mobile customer you're trying to reach is currently unavailable. A voice mail .." The phone instructed.

 _That's unusual for Dad. I wonder if he's in a meeting right now._ Light thought.

"Please. I need to speak directly with someone for the special investigation task force. It's urgent." Naomi pleaded.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't help you. As I've told you already, there's no one at task force headquarters right now." The receptionist told her.

 _There's no one at headquarters? Dad's cell is turned off. What's going on?_ Light thought

"Can't you contact them somehow? I have information relating to the Kira investigation." Naomi insisted.

 _The Kira investigation?_

"Look, I'll call headquarters one more time for you. One moment." The receptionist informed.

"Hi, I'm Detective Soichiro Yagami's son, Light Yagami. I've brought my father a change of clothes, but it doesn't look like he's in." Light introduced himself. "Can I leave them here?"

"Sure." The man behind the desk greeted. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while, Light?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Light cringed.

"What? You don't remember? You helped solve the insurance fraud murder investigation.

Sometime last year. But hey, no one remembers the receptionist, do they?" The man smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm terrible with faces. I just need to sign my name on this form, right?" Light admitted.

"So, Light. Does this mean you are gonna be helping us with the Kira investigation, too?" The receptionist asked hopefully.

"Sure. If all goes well, maybe I'll find Kira before L, and K does." Light boasted.

 _Find him before L, and K does?_ Naomi doubted.

"As I thought, there's no one at headquarters. You are going to have to trust me on this, ma'am. I'll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them, I promise." the man apologized.

"That's not good enough." Naomi demanded. "I have to tell them in person."

"Excuse me. My father is actually in charge of the Kira investigation. If you'd like, I could pass your message on to him. His cell phone is off at the moment, but I should be able to contact him soon. A number of FBI agents were just killed and a lot of detectives have quit the case because they were afraid of Kira. So he is pretty busy right now."Light confided.

"Ah, Light, it's probably better if you don't discuss this with…" The receptionist began.

"True. But it's practically common knowledge at this point." Light reasoned. "Besides, I feel like I can trust her. You can almost see it in her eyes. She's a wise and careful person. You heard about what happened. And you must have figured out that the police had a leak of some kind.

And that's why you wanted to tell them in person. You thought this through. Well, am I right?"

Naomi nodded.

"I'm sure my father will be calling me back once he checks his messages. When he does, I'll give you the phone and let you talk to him."Light assured.

"You sure that's all right?" Naomi questioned.

"Oh, yeah. You understand why I can't just give you my father's cell phone number, but I have no problem letting you use my phone to talk to him. You'll have to trust my father and I, which I hope only too difficult for you." Light laughed.

"Why is he so happy?" Ryuk asked.

"Thank you so much." Naomi smiled gratefully.

"Hehehe. She walked right into that one, didn't she?" Ryuk laughed.

"I've got to say, you must be pretty brave to be getting involved in the Kira case like this." Light praised as they walked outside.

"Hm, not really." Naomi shrugged it off.

"So according to you, is Kira some.." Light cleared his throat. "We've been talking and I just realized I don't even know your name. My name is Light Yagami; Light's written with the character for "moon" and Yagami with the characters for "night" and "god". Kind of weird, huh?"

"My name is Shoko Maki. It's written with the characters for "shining," "ko" is in "child", "space" and "ki" is in "tree"." Naomi lied.

"Miss Maki, right?" Light repeated.

"Hahaha." Ryuk laughed, realizing that it was an alias.

"Miss Maki, I've been thinking about Kira's powers. And I believe they enable him to somehow control his victims before they die." Light started.

"So do I. It's odd that you say that, because that's exactly what I have been thinking. Kira's able to control their actions before he kills them. But there's more to it. If my analysis so far is correct, Kira can kill in a number of ways, not just with a heart attack." Naomi agreed.

 _She knows? Who is this woman?_

"I don't think anyone else knows this yet." 'Miss Maki' confided. "But if the police are willing to consider it, I bet it would help them catch Kira."

"You know, that possibility never even crossed my mind. So what you're saying is, anytime Kira wants one of his murders to go undetected, he wouldn't use a heart attack." Light nodded.

"Right. I'm almost positive that someone I know may have met Kira." Naomi confirmed.

"Met Kira? Hahaha, I'm sorry, but if a person came in saying they'd met Kira, the police would be more than a little skeptical, to say the least." Light doubted.

"I know…" Naomi sighed. "That's why I need to explain it in person to someone from task force headquarters. Otherwise, I'm afraid they'll just write me off."

"But wouldn't it be better if you friend spoke to them instead?" Light asked

"It probably would. But he's no longer alive. He was one of the 12 FBI agents who came to Japan to investigate Kira." Naomi grimaced.

 _An FBI agent who met Kira. Could it be?_

"You see, he was also my fiance. While he was working, he got caught up in a bus jacking.

And I have reason to believe that he met Kira on that bus." Naomi continued.

 _Raye Penber._

"Is something wrong?" Naomi questioned.

"Nothing. I'm sorry to hear that he passed away." Light replied. "So what makes you think he met Kira on that bus?"

"Because eight days after the bus was hijacked, he died along with the other FBI investigators.

The same man had attempted to rob a bank two days before he hijacked that bus, and he dies in an accident just like that. I mean, really what are the odds? I've come to believe that Kira set up that bus jacking. It was planned to bring him into contact with my fiance in order to obtain information regarding identities of the other FBI agents so he could get rid of them all. Anyway what stands out to me is that the hijacker died in an accident. In other words, it suggests that heart attacks aren't the only way Kira can kill people." Naomi explained.

"OK. So the bus jacker didn't die of a heart attack. And based on that, you're saying Kira has other ways of killing people?" Light repeated.

"Yes."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think that's a bit of a leap of faith." Light doubted.

"There is no other way of looking at it. If Kira was controlling the hijacker, chances are he killed him, too." Naomi defended.

"I still don't see it." Light sighed.

"I've been wondering about that bus jacking ever since my fiance first told me about it.

After he calmed down, I asked him for details. He didn't mention any names or anything like that, but he told me one thing." Naomi clarified.

"What did he say?" Light asked.

"That he'd been put in a situation where he had to show his FBI ID to someone." Naomi continued.

"Hm." Light thought

"The operation was undertaken secretly without the NPA's knowledge. He wasn't allowed to show his ID. I think whoever saw his ID that day was responsible for the death of all of the agents." Naomi finished.

"Unbelievable. She figured it out. This must be the oversight Light was worried about." Ryuk smirked.

"I understand. You are the only one who knows any of this. And you want nothing more than to avenge your fiance by bringing Kira to justice, right? And now you are convinced that Kira can kill without using a heart attack." Light nodded.

"Yes." Naomi confirmed.

"There's no doubt in my mind that your deductive skills are excellent, but you can't deny that you have a personal interest in the case. Still, your theory is worth looking into. That's for sure.

Your testimony could be central to the case." Light agreed.

"It could…" Naomi muttered.

"If what you're telling me is true, then it'll only be a matter of time before the police catch up with Kira. The person your fiance showed his ID to on the bus that day, it had to be Kira."

"That's right."

 _That was close. This woman, if she'd spoken to the police before I met her, but it seems there's a god on my side after all, and not just a god of death._


	9. Overcast

_Regardless of how she came to the conclusion, the fact remains this woman knows the truth._

 _If she gives this information to the police, it won't take them very long to figure out that Kira is actually me. I have no choice but to eliminate her._ Light thought.

"Something wrong?" Naomi asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. But the more I think about it, the more your theory makes sense to me. We can't waste any time. We need to start investigating it right away." Light denied..

"What? Really? Do you mean that?" Naomi smiled.

"Yes. So, have you told anyone else about this?" Light asked.

"No. You are the first person I've told." Naomi admitted.

"Hehehe. You are lucky. But how will you get rid of her? It's not like you can do it here." Ryuk laughed.

 _Well, you have a gift for stating the obvious, Ryuk._ Light thought.

" 't you bold?" Ryuk noted as Light took out his wallet, and pulled out the page of the Death Note.

"Let's get started. Could you please tell me the date and time of the bus jacking incident?" Light inquired innocently.

"It was December 20th, in front of Asagawa hill, at 11:02 AM, bound for Spaceland." Naomi recited.

"December 20th, and they were on their way to Spaceland." Light repeated.

"Yes." Naomi confirmed.

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk, hyuk." Ryuk cackled.

"This way, no one will find her body. And even if they do, they will just assume that the death of her fiance drove her to commit suicide." Light smirked.

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk." Ryuk continued laughing.

"What's so funny, Ryuk?" Light whispered.

"We apologize for questioning all of you like that, but we're afraid we had no other choice.

We have determined that Kira is not among us." K started.

"Hhhm." The men nodded.

"Ryuzaki, Silena how can you be certain that we are all innocent?" Soichiro asked.

"Well, to be honest, from the beginning we set a number of traps that would reveal if any of you was Kira." L explained. "But after speaking with you one-on-one, we don't feel the need."

"Ah."

"Excuse me." L said as his cell phone rang.

"Unbelievable. He tells us to turn off our cell phones." Matsuda complained.

"Understood. I'm just about finished here anyway. You got the key, so let yourself in." L talked. "Watari is on his way."

"Huh?"

"So that's everything. I'd like to report this incident to my father if it's OK with you, that is." Light asked.

"Well, if it's all the same, I think I'd like to report it myself. And after talking to you, I've decided that it would be the best to do as soon as possible." Naomi declined.

"Hm. That makes sense." Light agreed. _Just 10 seconds until 1:15. I have to admit, I'd really love to see how she dies. But I can't be caught following her around. Go on. Hurry to your death._

"Kira will definitely be caught. Don't you think?" Naomi asked.

 _Huh? What's going on? It should have happened already. This doesn't make sense. I don't understand why she is not leaving. I've had no problems making people kill themselves in the past. All I had to do was write the word "suicide". The criminals I tested it on all hung themselves exactly when I specified._ Light thought. _My experiments indicate that in the situation like this I should be able to control a person's actions. So, what's wrong?_

"Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk." Ryuk chuckled.

 _Ryuk. He laughed just like that when I was writing in the death note. And that's not all. I remember thinking it was bizarre how he laughed when I asked her name. In fact he's reacted the same way every time her name comes up. An alias!_

"Huh.."

"Gentlemen, it's an honor to meet all of you." Watari greeted.

"This person is Watari?" Aizawa asked.

"Um, what about your usual outfit?" Matsuda questioned.

"If I dressed like that, I'd be announcing to the world that I'm Watari. That's all it takes to give away the location of our headquarters, Silena, and Ryuzaki."

"Oh, I see." Matsuda realized.

"Ordinarily I would never show my face to any of you. The fact that I'm here is proof that you've won Ryuzaki's trust." Watari said.

"Now that you mentioned it, I do feel honored. Hahaha." Matsuda scratched his head.

"Well then, I've brought those items you requested. It's all here." Watari spoke to the two detectives.

"Could you please pass them out to everyone?" K requested.

"Yes. Gentlemen, these are your new police IDs." Watari explained.

"Ah." The police officers nodded

"But what for?" Aizawa asked.

 _She used an alias. That has to be it. But Ryuk knew all along. He could see her real name with his eyes. That's why he wouldn't stop laughing. I should've known it. She's been overly cautious from the beginning. I see. It makes a lot of sense. She believes that Raye died because he showed his ID to Kira. So, of course she'd be careful not to reveal her own identity. Hm, this isn't good._

 _It's gonna be almost impossible to ask her real name knowing she gave me an alias the first time._

 _If I'm too persistent, she'll get suspicious. What am I saying? It'll look suspicious that I even knew she was using an alias._ Light thought vigorously.

"I should probably be getting back soon." Naomi spoke.

"Hm?" Light snapped out of his thoughts.

"Someone from the task force might be back there by now." Naomi explained.

"Oh, yeah. You could be right. Let's cross our fingers and hope someone's there." Light lied.

"Yeah." Naomi nodded.

 _Damn it. I'm running out of options here. I have to stop this before it's too late. Oh, no. What if my father calls back now? I've already promised her that I would let her talk to him if he did. If the phone rings, it's all over for me. What am I gonna do?This is crazy. All I have to do is turn my cell phone off. Problem solved. Now calm down. You know what needs to be done. Just find out her real name. Her purse. Her pockets. She's gotta have her driver's licence or some kind of personal identification on her somewhere. She's a woman after all. I suppose, if I had to, I could use force. No. No, the last thing I want to do is make a scene in public. I've got to get her somewhere isolated. But where? What explanation could I give her? It would never work. She's too careful. I need a better approach. I can do this. I'm going to convince her to give me her real name._ Light schemed.

"Hehehe. Hey, Light, you know, the deal I mentioned is still open. It's just like putting on contact lenses. Completely painless." Ryuk offered.

 _Would I be willing to give up half my life? Just so I can learn this woman's real name? No. I wouldn't. In fact it's not even worth considering. Now, quit wasting my time. Just shut your mouth, Shinigami._

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"Do you still have business at the police station then? I'd like to go there by myself if you don't mind."

"Yeah. No problem."

"Our names and ranks are false." Soichiro realized.

"Why did you give us fake IDs?" Matsuda asked.

"As you know, Kira requires a name and a face to kill. We will confront him with that premise in mind, and I think it should be obvious why." L explained.

"Yes, but of all the people, the police shouldn't use fake IDs!" Ukita exasperated.

"Enough. What choice do we really have given the capabilities of our enemy? As long as you're working on this case, I think we're going to need all the protection one can get. It will be foolish not to use them." Soichiro demanded.

"Yeah. You got a good point." Matsuda sighed.

"Uh-huh." Aizawa agreed.

"Remember any time you're in a situation where you have to give out your name to a stranger, make sure to use the name from your fake ID, understood?" K reminded.

"Hm." Soichiro nodded.

"Right. And be careful not to take them out while in the presence of other police officers.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that could cause problems for us." L continued.

"I understand." Aizawa said.

"Very well, then. I'd like to request that you wear these at all times." Watari asked.

"Ah...belts?" Matsuda inquired.

"Each one has a transmitter hidden in the buckle. This will allow Ryuzaki and Silena to monitor your whereabouts. And when you press the buckle twice like this… My cell phone will ring displaying your name. And I'll call you back immediately, but you won't see my number displayed. In the morning, all of you will go to the police station as usual. Then later on in the day, we'll use this method to confirm the name of Ryuzaki and Silena's hotel and their room number. Please use this for emergencies as well." Watari explained.

"No way! This is totally cool. I feel like some kind of secret agent going after Kira." Matsuda exclaimed excitedly.

"Quiet, Matsuda. This is not the time to be fooling around. Knock it off." Yagami scolded.

"Yes, sir." Matsuda bowed his head.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done, Light. After talking to you, I can be much more confident about my theory." Naomi smiled.

"Not at all." Light lied. _Considering that Ryuk mentioned that eye deal again, there's no doubt in my mind that she used an alias._ _At this rate, once she goes to the police with her theory about Kira being on that bus, and they look at all the people Raye Penber was investigating, it won't take them long to zero in on me._

"Hahaha. Hey, she's leaving. So now what?" Ryuk laughed.

 _I've got about 5 minutes before that woman gets to the police headquarters. Think. I need her real name. And I don't have much time to spare. If this woman makes it to the police station and someone from the task force has returned by then, it'll all be over for me. I've gotta find out her real name and eliminate her quickly. Only three minutes left until she reaches the station. All right._

"Oh? What are you doin'?" Ryuk asked.

"Excuse me." Light interrupted.

"Yes?" Naomi stopped walking.

"There's something that I should probably tell you." Light sighed.

"OK." Naomi agreed.

"The thing is, it'll be impossible for you to contact anyone from the task force directly." Light confided.

"Huh?" Naomi questioned.

 _That's right. Keep the conversation going. I just need to find something that she can latch onto, and I've got her. Once she's comfortable, then I can get her real name. I can do this._

"I can't contact anyone. But why not?" Naomi inquired.

"Didn't you find it odd that there was no one at the task force headquarters?" Light asked

"Uh, yeah. I did find it a bit strange but, I didn't…" Naomi started.

"Let me explain. The task force has been organized so that its members can't be identified and nobody on the outside knows who's in charge. If the members' names were ever made public, or the structure of the task force was revealed, we'd likely see another tragedy along the lines of the one that claimed your fiance's life." Light explained.

"I see." Naomi nodded still a little uneasy.

"That's why you were told earlier that no one was at task force headquarters. What I'm trying to say is, you'll never be able to talk to someone directly from the task force because the police simply won't allow it." Light continued.

"Hehehe. That's pretty clever. I'm impressed." Ryuk laughed.

"If it's supposed to be a secret, then how do you know so much?" Naomi doubted.

"Guess I spoke too soon, she's sharp." Ryuk cackled.

"Very well. You leave me no choice. It's because I'm actually a member of the task force." Light lied through his teeth.

"Huh?" Ryuk stopped.

"I'm sorry. You're telling me that you're an agent?" Naomi said skeptically.

"Yes. L and K is currently in charge of the task force; they're leading out investigation." Light clarified.

"Yes. To be honest, I already suspected that." Naomi confessed.

"They were concerned that the task force had become too small. Many detectives have quit fearing for their lives and so. Despite the fact that I'm a highschool student, they brought me on board to help out with the investigation. After all I've helped them solve cases in the past." Light explained.

"So, they trusts you then." Naomi continued.

"I can go to task force headquarters whenever it suits me. And I'm allowed to investigate freely as I see fit. You see, these days the task force is made up of a chosen few. An elite group of people handpicked for the job by the two detectives. All are highly skilled, well respected and, above all, trustworthy."

"Huh."

"Gahahaha." Ryuk laughed.

"Thanks for explaining. But just to be safe, I'd like to try and visit the task force headquarters again. Good bye." Naomi walked away.

"Please. Wait a second. It's like I just told you. They won't let you talk to anyone." Light called after her.

"I know, but I was hoping I could speak with L or K directly." Naomi sighed.

"Oh, and come to think of it, who's at the police station right now?" L asked.

"Actually no one's there at the moment." Soichiro confessed.

"That's not good news. We need someone there at all times, work in shifts if you have to." K instructed.

"I understand. Aizawa, I'll put you in charge of that for today." Soichiro commanded.

"Yes, sir. I'm on my way. Won't take me long."

"Ms. Maki, please. Wait a second. It's literally impossible to meet L or K. This is pointless." Light argued.

"You may be right. But I think that there's a chance that they'll meet with me." Naomi sighed.

"Huh?" Light asked.

"Although the only contact I had with them was following orders through a computer, they may remember who I am. You see, I worked under them in a case in the U.S. about two years ago."

"Are you serious? You worked under L and K?"

"Yes. I didn't tell you this, but up until three months ago, I worked as an FBI agent."

 _This is it. Finally something I can use. "_ Guess I shouldn't be surprised. In fact I noticed early on, that your investigative skills were far beyond those of an amateur. You were very cautious and you seem to have a gift for getting to the heart of the matter. If I could, I'd like to learn from you."

"Gahahaha. One lie after another. You make it look easy." Ryuk laughed.

"From the beginning, I knew I had to do things outside the regular channels because from my perspective both of the police and the members of the task force were suspects. But I'm certain that I can trust L or K. Maybe it's unrealistic. But I think that if I go to headquarters and give them my name, there's a chance that they let me speak with him directly."

"I see. But if the only person you could trust with this info was L or K, then, why me?"

"I suppose I was upset that they would not allow me to see anyone from the task force. Then you came along claiming to be the son of the lead detective and... No. That's not it. I'll be honest with you. It's because you remind me of L. There's something about you that's just like him."

"Will you investigate this case with me?"

"Huh?"

"I want you to come work with us as part of the task force. We could use your help. As I'm sure, you know, not just anyone can do it. Please. I know this is sudden, but the team needs people like you. I'm serious. You could be doing so much more than gathering information on your own. You have all the experiences as an FBI agent. You are more talented than most of the detectives currently on the task force. And L and K obviously trusted you in the past. It wouldn't be that difficult for you to join." Light ranted. "All you need is some valid identification, a recommendation from a current task force member, and of course, you need to get L and K's permission."

"You want me to join the task force?"

"I can't help but think that it must be fate that I met you today. I'd like to be the one to recommend you. Oh, I'm sorry about that. I guess I've got a little bit too excited."

"It's OK."

"I mean even if you acted as a consultant on this investigation, it would be a great help. I'm sure you'll have personal obligations to attend to. Not to mention the fact you live in the United States."

"It's true. Before all this happened, I thought I'd continue living in America with my fiance. We planned on getting married in this spring. But now he's gone. So I'm not sure what to do any more."

 _All right. I've come this far, all she needs is a little encouragement._ "But you are young and beautiful and you've got your life ahead of you. Why put it all in danger for this?"

"No! Now that Raye is gone, I've got nothing to lose any more. I want to catch Kira. I don't care about anything else. It's all I wanna do. Please let me investigate this case with you."

"Hehehehe." Ryuk cackled.

"Yes, of course. I just need to see some form of identification before we proceed." Light requested.

"Oh, um…"

"Yes?"

"You see, the name I gave you earlier, well, it wasn't actually my real name. I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. It's all right. To be honest, I'm impressed by how incredibly thorough you've been. You've stayed one step ahead of me. But I suppose that's just further proof of your capabilities."

"So will the Japanese driver's licence do the trick, then?"

"Sure." _I made it in time._ Light wrote down her name on the Death Note.

"Ah so, if you don't mind my asking, why do you keep checking your watch?"

"Oh, well, I guess it's because...because I'm Kira."

"Huh?" Her face paled.

"What's the matter?"

"There's something I have to do."

"Hm. My father's cell phone might be available now. Do you want to see if you can talk to him?"

"No thank you. I have nothing to say to him."

"Then, good bye. Naomi Misora." were the last words that Naomi heard as she walked to her demise.


	10. Glare

"That was footage from surveillance cameras at the station. The death of one of the FBI agents is captured on here." Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Let's see the following scenes again. Raye Penber passing the ticket gate on his way in, then him boarding the train, and finally the part where he dies on the platform." L instructed.

"OK. Let's see." Aizawa interrupted.

"I think it's next to that." Matsuda advised.

"Oh, here it is." Aizawa called out.

"Um, so based on the records I have here, Raye Penber comes through the West entrance of Shinjuku station at 3:11 pm. Then at 3:13 he boards a train on the Yamanote Line. But even if he was following someone at that time, I think it's gonna be very difficult for us to draw any real conclusion from this blurry video. Then at exactly 4:42 p.m., um, oh thank you very much, Watari. Umm, and at 4:42 p.m., he exits the train at Tokyo station and dies on the platform." Matsuda read aloud.

"It's quite strange, don't you think?" K realized.

"I'm sorry. What do you find strange?" Yagami asked.

"Oh you're right." L noted.

"Yeah. What is it? Did you notice something?" Matsuda questioned.

"We know that Raye Penber got on the train, and then an hour and a half later he got off and died on the platform." L explained.

"But Yamanote line only takes an hour to complete its circuit. And more importantly there's the envelope." K continued for him.

"Um, what do you mean?" Matsuda looked lost.

"He's holding what looks like an envelope when he passes through the ticket gate." K pointed out.

"Oh, you're right! It's there under his arm. But in the footage right before his death, it's gone! I can't believe you actually caught that." Aizawa realized.

"Well I don't see an envelope on this list of his personal effects." Soichiro noted.

"Which means it was left on the train. And if you watch closely the very end here, it seems like he's straining to look inside the train before the door's close. You can see right here." L reasoned.

"If that's the case, do you think it could mean something?" Soichiro asked.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if Kira was on that train?" K questioned.

"That's impossible." Soichiro doubted.

"I admit I find it hard to believe as well. There's no reason for Kira to come to the scene of his own crime when he can kill from a distance." L agreed.

"Well, maybe he was counting on us to make that assumption, and figured he could get away with such a bold move." K countered.

"What's going on with you, Light? You haven't stopped writing criminals' names in the death note for four days straight. So what are you trying to prove?" Ryuk asked. "I don't see the point in writing these names weeks in advance. I've never seen the death note used like this."

"Consider it insurance. Suppose the son of the Detective Superintendent of the NPA was hospitalized, if criminals stopped dying at the same time, it wouldn't be difficult to connect the two." Light explained.

"So that's what this is." Ryuk nodded.

"Are you sure that I can use any date as long as it's before the end of a person's predetermined lifespan?"

"Well, I can't guarantee it because we Shinigami don't normally work that way, but I suppose anytime before the end of their lifespan should work."

"I really can't count on you, can I?"

"You got that right."

"Yes? ...Yes, would you please hold for a moment? Ryuzaki, it's Ukita at the NPA. He says he's on the phone with someone from the tip line who has information for us." Watari explained.

"Right. Then give Ukita the number for line 5 and ask him to have the informant call that line instead, it will be safer that way. Mr. Matsuda, it's OK for you to turn on your cell phone

now. Actually please turn it on right away." K asked.

"Oh, sure." Matsuda turned on his phone, and it rang instantly.

"Yes, this is Suzuki, head of Kira's investigation public information division. Raye Penber's fiancee, Naomi Misora." L plucked the phone out of his hands. _I've heard that name before._

 _Ha! So it's her. She's from the Los Angeles BB murder case. That's right. She was working under K and I. I guess she must have come to Japan with her fiance. Well, apparently she's been missing since the day after her fiance died._

"Hmmm. Naomi? Wasn't she from the LABB case? Huh. She's missing…. Damn. She was pretty nice, especially since she kicked L down a flight of stairs." K mumbled.

"I heard that." L stated.

"I'm sure that anyone in her situation would be pretty depressed. Was it …" Matsuda started.

"Suicide?" Aizawa asked.

"No. The Naomi Misora we knew was strong, not to mention, she was also an excellent FBI agent. If anything, it's more likely she'd be trying to catch Kira. If she came to Japan with Penber, it's possible that she may have found a lead. If that's the case, did Kira manage to get to her first?

Everyone, at this point I'd like to focus our investigation on only those people who Raye Penber was tailing. In particular he was assigned to two police officers and those closest to them." K instructed.

"Very well. Who are these two individuals he was investigating?" Soichiro questioned.

"Deputy Director Kitamura, along with Detective Superintendent Yagami and their families. At this stage, I'd like to place wiretaps and surveillance cameras in both households." L spoke.

 _I have to make sure there's no evidence left on this computer just in case someone goes through it. Now I just have to hide these clippings from the death note in here._ Light thought

"It seems like you're pretty skilled with your hands. I bet you're pretty popular with the girls, aren't you?" Ryuk asked.

"Skill has nothing to do with it. It's your looks that count. I'm guessing you are not that popular, are you?" Light said.

"Huh?"

"Surveillance cameras, Ryuzaki?" Matsuda exclaimed.

"I don't see how you can even consider this. If it got out, we'd have a civil rights scandal on our hands. We'd all lose our jobs." Aizawa bursted out.

"You all said you'd be willing to risk your lives for this investigation, but you wouldn't risk your jobs?" K questioned them.

"Silena, what are the odds of that Kira is in one of these households?" Soichiro inquired.

"Maybe 10%, No, it's closer to 5%." K answered.

"Seriously? I'm sorry, but it's not worth the risk." Matsuda argued.

"No. Of all the people we've investigated so far, not one of them seemed even the least bit suspicious. Even if there is only a 1% chance, we simply can't afford to ignore it." Chief started.

"Chief?" Matsuda asked, confused.

"I don't have to tell you how offended I am to learn my family is under suspicion. Having said that, just go ahead with it. And make sure that you install them everywhere. I don't want any blind spots in the house, and that includes the bathroom." Soichiro continued.

"Thank you very much. That was our intention." K and L nodded.

"Come on, chief. You don't have to agree to this." Aizawa reasoned.

"Yes, he's right. Think about your family. You have a wife and a daughter at home, don't you?" Matsuda agreed.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that fact. But there is no point in doing any of this if we can't be thorough. Now I suggest you keep quiet." Soichiro yelled.

"I'm sorry." Matsuda apologized.

"No. It's OK." Soichiro sighed. "Excuse me."

"As a courtesy to the chief and his family, only he, L, and I will conduct surveillance on their home. Watari, how long will it take to prepare the wiretaps and cameras we need?" K asked.

"Well, starting tomorrow, I can set them up at any time provided we know when both houses will be empty." Watari said.

"See you later, Light." The boy waved goodbye.

"Yeah. See tomorrow." Light returned the gesture.

 _What? No one's home yet?_ Light thought when the door handle was locked. "I'm home."

"Huh?" Light asked.

"How's it going? I don't think anyone else is in the house right now, do you wanna play some video games? C'mon. It's been a while. You listening? Hey, Light!" Light ignored the Shinigami.

"I don't believe it. I never knew he went to such great lengths." Light's father exasperated. "What could he be hiding in there that he doesn't want anyone else to see."

"For a 17-year-old kid, I wouldn't say this kind of behavior is particularly abnormal. When I was his age, I did strange things, too. Have you ever talked to your son about the investigation?" L said.

"Tch. I can attest to that." K mumbled.

"Of course not. I've never once revealed classified information to my family. Besides, I don't get to see them too often these days and usually as soon as I get home, all I can do is sleep." Soichiro spoke sadly.

"We understand." K nodded.

"Where exactly are we goin'? Light, don't ignore me when I'm talking to you, or I'll get mad." Ryuk complained.

 _Doesn't look like this clothes have been bugged. I think we're safe._

"Listen to me. There's a very strong possibility that there are wiretaps and maybe surveillance cameras hidden throughout my house." Light explained.

"Really? But that piece of paper was still in your door, wasn't it?" Ryuk asked.

"That's true, but I left the paper in the door in a way that would be obvious to anyone entering the room. The real test is the handle." Light confided.

"It is?" Ryuk inquired.

"When that door's closed, the door handle automatically returns to a horizontal position and it won't go any higher than that. But whenever I close the door, I adjust it slightly. Instead of letting it sit horizontally, I lower it by about 5 mm. When I get home and try to open the door, if the handle is all the way up, I can be fairly certain that someone was in my room. That method alone doesn't tell me if my door was actually opened. So I put a mechanical pencil lead in place as well." Light started.

"So, what do you do with it?" Ryuk questioned.

"It goes on the hinge. After I close the door, I take the pencil lead and rest it on the hinge in such a way that would break if the door happens to be opened by anyone. Normally I take it out myself when I get back home. When I got home from school today, I noticed that the pencil lead was broken." Light continued.

"Now that you mention it, I do remember that." Ryuk nodded.

"First the door handle, then the lead. I know someone was in there today." Light clarified.

"Maybe it was your mother." Ryuk suggested.

"My family wouldn't have noticed the piece of paper. What's suspicious is that someone took the time to put it back in the door." Light finished.

"Hi, there. Can I help you?" The store clerk asked.

"What's this all about? Are you buying a book about wiretaps and surveillance so you can figure this mess out?" Ryuk questioned.

"By the way, Ryuk. What about your apples?" Light changed the topic.

"Apples? Ah! That's right. Surveillance cameras. Once the apple is in my mouth, no one can see it, but while I'm holding it, it looks like it's floating." Ryuk explained.

"I thought so. You told me that Shinigami can't die, so I guess it won't kill you to stop eating apples for a while." Light spoke.

"Oh, don't you think that a bit much, come on! I never told you this, but apples are to me what cigarettes and alcohol are to humans. Do you see what I'm saying?I even get withdrawal symptoms." Ryuk gasped.

"Oh yeah? What kind of symptoms?" Light taunted the Shinigami.

"My body gets all twisted, I do handstands. It's not pretty." Ryuk complained.

"I don't need to see that." Light sighed.

"I know."

"OK. Here's the thing. Unfortunately I already gave L the hint that Shinigami love apples, so I just can't afford to take the risk."

"When did you?"

"If it's so important for you to eat apples, you'll have to find out where all the cameras are hidden. If you're lucky, you might find a blind spot where you can eat them without being seen. All right. Let's go."

"Yeah. The camera search. Sounds so interesting."

"Oh, I-I have to find the cameras."

Through the surveillance cameras, Light was looking at some, uhhh, R rated magazines.

"I can't believe my son's looking at those magazines." Soichiro exclaimed.

"It's normal for a 17-year-old." L said.

"But it seems contrived. It's too obvious. The only reason he didn't want anyone in his room is because he has these magazines. That's he wants us to think." K pointed out.

"Hey, that's my son you're talking about. Are you honestly telling me that you suspect him?"

"We do suspect him. That's why I placed wiretaps and surveillance cameras in your house and Deputy Director's house."

"Ah? I've found a camera in the air conditioner." Ryuk called out.

 _Hm, so they've really put cameras in here. They must've bugged the place as well._

 _Even if this is a Kira case, I didn't think the Japanese police would ever go this far. This must be either K or L's idea. Which means they've narrowed down their list of suspects. By now they must've figured out that it was someone who Raye Penber was investigating or they wouldn't've gone to all this trouble._

"Man, these covers mislead you all the time."

 _No. Given the situation, it's safer if I just assume I'm their prime suspect and the only one being watched. It'll be OK. Luckily I've prepared for this kind of situation._

"Oh, Light…" Soichiro sighed.

"Hey, Light. Come on! Dinner is ready!" Sachiko yelled up the stairs.

"I love you always." The man on the television said.

"Uhh. Hideki Ryuga. I swear he's perfect! How come no one in my class is like that?" Sayu fangirled.

"Sayu, just eat your dinner." Her mother scolded.

"I'll eat it later." Sayu shrugged.

"Hello, Mr. Aizawa. Are the Kitamuras watching television now?" K asked.

"Yes. He's not home, but the other four are watching while they eat dinner. It's channel 4."

"Watari, please contact the broadcasters and tell them to play our message." K instructed.

"Very well. Understood."

"Huh? What's this? "ICPO? They are saying that in response to the Kira murders Interpol has decided to dispatch a force of 1,500 investigators to Japan. The Investigators were drawn from law-enforcement agencies of its member nations. 1,500 investigators? Wow." Sayu read off the screen.

 _Chances are that they've got cameras in the living room as well. Regardless of whether this news is real or not, it's obvious they are just trying to evoke a reaction from me. L, this is the exact same trick you used last time._

"The ICPO sure is stupid." Light laughed.

"Huh?"

"I mean there's no point in making this announcement. If they are gonna send all these people here to investigate, shouldn't they keep it a secret? Even the FBI agents who were secretly investigating were killed by Kira. Why, would this be any different? If you ask me, this is nothing more than a desperate attempt to shock Kira in the hopes that he will reveal himself somehow. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Kira sees right through this."

"Hmmm. Your son's clever, isn't he?" L commented.

"Well, yes."

"Thanks for dinner, Mom." Light grabbed a bag of chips.

"You're eating a bag of chips? You just had dinner. Your good looks are gonna go down the drain if you keep that up." Sayu teased.

"It's a late night snack for studying." Light justified.

"I think that's it, Light. I found every camera they put in the house. I guess Shinigami get tired when they work hard. Now let me explain where they all are. It's a little bit complicated, so listen up. There's nothing I hate more than explaining something twice." Ryuk explained.

"All right. It's time for me to hit the books." Light stretched.

"There sure are a lot of cameras in this room. I counted 64 in total. I guess whoever put them here expected you to at least find some of them." Ryuk sighed.

 _It has to be L or K. He had no qualms about putting a death row inmate in his place when he declared war on me. It's pretty clear they don't know any limits._

"Oh, what I want to know is how am I gonna be able to eat apples." Ryuk complained.

"This is impossible now, isn't it?" Light sighed.

"Oh, yeah. I guess you can't talk in here. But we better discuss this outside tomorrow?" Ryuk remembered.

"OK. I think I'm getting a hang on this now." _Judging by the number of cameras he's planted, he's planning to make a decision within a short period of time. Any normal person would slip under these circumstances. But it won't be that easy with me, L. This is the closest you get! I've set things up so that criminals will continue to die over the next three weeks. But L is aware by now that Kira can control the times of deaths of his victims. Therefore, to avoid suspicion, L needs to see that criminals whose names are broadcast continue to die while I have no access to that information._

"Ahhhh. The symptoms are starting!" Ryuk flipped into a headstand.

 _I'm gonna show you, L. With Ryuk's information and my preparations, I can continue to kill criminals whose names are broadcast on the news while masquerading as a typical high school student studying for his entrance exams. Just watch me, L. I'll solve equations with my right hand, and write names with my left. I take a potato chip and eat it!_ (cue the dramatic music and sparkles).

"After dinner your son just goes back to studying without turning on the TV or his computer." K noted.

"It's because the entrance exams are 5 days away." Soichiro justified.

 _Now a criminal who I should have no knowledge of will die of a heart attack in 40 seconds. And the witness to my alibi is L himself. All right. Just a little bit longer._

"Ryuzaki. Silena."

"Yes, what is it, Watari?" L asked.

"A few minutes ago, a bank clerk being questioned on suspicion of embezzlement and a purse snatcher being held in a detention center, were broadcast on the news, they both just died of sudden inexplicable heart attacks." Watari reported.

"It's him again!" Soichiro exclaimed.

"While all that was happening, at your home, your wife and daughter were watching television. When that was over they turned the TV off and didn't watch anything just past 7:30 until now 11 o'clock, your son has done nothing but needs a name and a face. Without those he can't kill. So I suppose anyone who didn't watch the news can't be Kira. right?" K asked.

"You said it yourself. That means my family has been cleared." Soichiro declared.

"It doesn't make sense that Kira would kill two petty criminals right after their identities were broadcast." L reasoned.

"Huh." Soichiro sighed.

"I know it's only the first day after the cameras were installed, but Yagami household seems almost too innocent to me." K decided.

"Light, are you up yet?" Sachiko called up.

"Yeah. I'm awake." Light groaned.

"Today's garbage day, so if you got any, bring it down with you, OK?" She instructed.

"What a pain!"

"Oh, what are you talking about? You usually say 'there's no need to remind me, Mom'"

"Yeah, yeah. Uhh. Another beautiful day."

"Well, I can't say for sure whether you're extremely generous or just a spoiled brat. But didn't that mini LCD TV cost you 400 bucks?"

"Good morning."


	11. Encounter

"Are you sure about this, Ryuk?" Light asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I'm sure nobody's following you, OK. Now hurry up already, will ya? The symptoms are getting worse." Ryuk complained.

"I really hope you're not saying what you think I'd want to hear just to get some apples." Light mocked.

"Hold it right there. I just flew out and checked 100-meter radius around you and there was no one there. So yeah. For the last time, I'm sure, OK?"

"All right, but on the news they said they were dispatching 1,500 investigators to Japan."

"They're bluffing. You said so yourself. If it were really happening, they wouldn't have announced their arrival. Instead they'd come and investigate secretly."

"I suppose you're right. Well then. I'll buy you some apples."

"Nice!"

"Here you are. Please come again." The clerk handled Light the paper bag.

"Light, Come on. Hurry up!" Ryuk was doing a handstand.

"You know, you really haven't been that nice to me. You had me looking all over for cameras, telling me that I can't even eat apples in the house any more. It's not right." Ryuk ate the apple, his limbs untwisting as he did so."

"Make sure you eat the core as well." Light threw the core into the air.

"You know, I might actually write your name in my death note and kill you. Just like that. I wouldn't laugh if I were you." Ryuk swallowed the apple.

"Right. That reminds me I've got one finishing touch left to add." Light laughed.

"Hmm. Hey, Ryuzaki." Soichiro asked.

"Yes."

"I've been thinking about the purse snatcher and the embezzlers heart attacks two days ago. It seems my family couldn't have had any knowledge of them before they died. Shouldn't that resolve any doubt you have?" Soichiro continued.

"You may be right. Even though Kira can control the time of death, I don't think there's any way he could have arranged their deaths without having seen the broadcast first. Hm, your son has come home."

"So you're gonna keep quiet and pretend to study again." Ryuk questioned the boy.

 _I have a good grasp of where all the cameras are placed, but I only managed to kill a purse snatcher and an embezzler using that trick with the potato chips. Both of them were guilty of much lesser crimes than my previous victims._

"Next in local news." The newscaster announced.

"Hm, you watching TV?"

 _I made sure to kill criminals whose names and faces were broadcast when I didn't have access to TV or the internet. But there's a chance I look even more suspicious if only these lesser criminals end up dying while I'm not receiving information. In other words, if I kill other petty criminals whose names and faces are broadcast as I watch TV, I won't draw unnecessary attention to myself. For this to work, all I really have to do is remember the identities of the criminals I either see on TV or while I'm online regardless of severity of their crimes. That way, whenever I go out I can use that piece of the Death Note I keep in my wallet to kill them at random times. Just like that. It's the perfect way to deal with these hidden cameras._

"In the past few days, L and I listened to all of our audio recordings and reviewed the video footage we captured, we've gone over them many times. And we've come to a conclusion. Our surveillance of the Kitamura and Yagami households has revealed...nothing. We'll remove the cameras and wire taps immediately." K reported.

"Huh. All that and we still don't have any suspects." Matsuda sighed.

"It's OK, Matsuda. We'll have to pursue other leads but we'll get him." Soichiro assured.

"Hm, please don't get a wrong idea." L spoke while eating cake.

"Huh?"

"I only said that we were unable to reveal anything suspicious based on our surveillance." L continued.

"What?"

"Even if Kira was among them, I'm sure he wouldn't make it obvious. No. In fact, it could mean he was able to continue killing without doing anything outwardly suspicious." K explained.

"Well then you believe that Kira is among one of those families?" Soichiro inquired.

"As we've said before, there's a 5% chance." K finished.

 _Kira never stopped killing people even while the surveillance cameras were in place. I still have no idea how he's been able to commit these murders, but let's say he could kill someone simply by wishing death upon them. You'd think that any human being would've shown at least some emotion, some sign that they were knowingly committing an act of murder. So the obvious conclusion is that Kira couldn't be one of them. However what if he is one of these people we've been watching? If he is, we have to assume that his psyche has reached godlike proportions. Punishing evil doers without the slightest change of expression, it almost makes you want to believe that Kira doesn't exist and this is just a wrath of revengeful god. But that idea is completely absurd to think that god would need a person's face and name to kill them. No. These are not acts of god but someone very childish and immature who wants to pretend they're god. That's what's going on here. A mass murderer who calls himself Kira exists somewhere. I'm sure of it and I will catch him. But I can't count on Kira making any mistakes. It doesn't matter how long we watch him, he's not gonna expose himself to us. So what should I do? Ideally, I would get to know him well enough that he'd admit to me that he was Kira, and show me how he kills. Would that even be possible?_

"Hey, Light. I just checked and all the cameras have been removed! All of them. Every single one. Hello! Are you listening to me? Hey, Light!Oh, good point. We still don't know if they've removed all the wiretaps from the house." Ryuk exclaimed.

"I suppose this means I'm no longer a suspect. Everything's going as planned. But I'm sure L won't give up that easily. If he's still working with the Japanese police, chances are my father is working with him or under him anyway. If that's the case, I'll have to use my father to find out L and K's true identity. And I'll eliminate them. Once I get rid of L, and K Kira will be one step closer to becoming the god of the new world." Light smirked.

"Light, hurry up. You don't want to be late. Do your best." Sachiko smiled.

"I know you don't need it, but good luck!" Sayu beamed.

"I really don't see why you two are making such a big deal out of this." Light sighed.

"I'm relieved. We don't have to deal with wiretaps in the house any more."

"Well, it's nice to know the one cause of stress was resolved before my exam. And once I get into university, I'll have a lot more room to act as Kira. Then I can focus on finding out who L really is."

"You there! The exam will be starting in ten minutes. So you better hurry up!" A man shouted at him.

"It's fine. I planned to get here 3 minutes before the test. I hate waiting. I'm here too early." Light complained.

"Well, well. Confident."

"And begin!"

"Hm? You two. Student No.162, and Student No. 163, sit properly in your chairs." The man yelled at them. Light glanced behind him. A pair of brown eyes, and a pair of black eyes stared back at him. Unknowing to all of them, their opponent was staring back at them.

"It seems like a lot of shinigami are observing the human world lately. What's with that anyway?"

"It turns out that Ryuk is being kept by a human."

"What is he thinking, seriously?"

"He's a disgrace to the pride of the shinigami."

"No. I'm talking about the human who's keeping Ryuk. Who would want him as a pet? Aren't pets supposed to be cute?"

"When you're right, you're right."

"So what's the story on this human anyway? Is it a male or a female?"

"Who knows?"

"In that case, I think I better go take a closer look."

"Oh, boy!"

"You're a college student now. That's kind of exciting. I'm filled with joy." Ryuk said sarcastically.

"Now for the freshman address. Freshman representative, Light Yagami."

"Yes." Light stood up.

"Oh, um, wow." Ryuk sighed.

"Freshman representative, Hideki Ryuga."

"Oh, that's here." L stood up.

"Is that Hideki Ryuga, the pop idol?"

"That guy? There's no way he's got brains to get into a school like Tohoh."

"Yeah. You're right. He doesn't look anything like the real Hideki Ryuga."

"And freshman representative Natalie Misora."

"Here." A girl dressed in all black stood up.

 _I knew I'd be giving the address with two other students, but I never expected this. I remember them from the exams center. They got into trouble for sitting oddly at his desk. It seemed like they were off in their own world. And why does that girl share the same surname as Naomi? Are they related?_ Light thought as he walked up to the stage. "As all of us embark on this new chapter of our lives…"

"The student who scores the highest on the test is supposed to give the speech, right?"

"I guess all three of them must've had the high score this year."

"I heard they all had perfect scores on all subjects."

"Seriously?"

"It's hard to believe there are actually people like that."

"I think I like the little one on the right."

"What? He's so weird, Kyoko. Look at how he's dressed."

"Man, these two are total opposites."

"Yeah. This one looks like a sheltered genius who's been groomed for success his whole life, but the other one…"

"As we embark on this new chapter in our lives…"

"There's something not right about him. He's just freakin' weird."

"This guy must be what they call a mad genius."

"Coming to the To-Oh entrance ceremony dressed like that? Unbelievable! Either he's crazy or he's just toying with us."

"As we embark on this new chapter in our lives…." The girl stated monotonously.

"That girl got a perfect on the test?"

"Yeah. She looks like a member of like a gang or something."

"... Freshman representative, Natalie Misora."

"Light. Light Yagami? Your father is Chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA. Your respect for your father's matched only by your strong sense of justice." L whispered to Light.

 _Who the hell is this guy?_ Light thought.

 _It's so funny watching L try to communicate with 'normal' people._ K smirked from behind the languid man.

"You're planning to join the police agency when you graduate. And you've already got experience seeing as you've helped police solve a number of cases in the past. Now you're showing an interest in the Kira case. I'm impressed by your abilities and your sense of justice.

If you promise not to tell anyone about this, I have important information concerning the Kira investigation that I'd like to share with you." L continued.

 _Where is this coming from? And who is he? Is it safe to just ignore him? But I wonder what this information actually is._ "I won't tell anyone. What is it?"

"I want to tell you I'm L." K almost burst out laughing as L whispered those eight words.

 _What's his reaction going to be._ She mentally considered.

 _What!? There's no way. What's he talking about? If he really was L, he'd never admit to it. I thought this guy was a bit strange, but...this is pretty extreme. Stop. This isn't good. Don't act surprised. On the off chance that he really is L, I have to act how Soichiro Yagami's son, Light Yagami would act in the situation. There'd be no reason for him to be afraid._

"If you are who you say you are, then you have nothing but my respect and admiration." Light praised.

"Thank you. The reason I chose to reveal my identity to you is because I think you could be some help to us on the Kira investigation." L explained.

 _Light Yagami. The likelihood that you are Kira is just under 5%. Even so, something tells me I'm not wrong to suspect you. But you're just too perfect. If you are Kira, I can't think of anything that would put more pressure on you than this little scenario._

"If this guy is really L like he says, then consider me impressed." Ryuk smirked.

 _Indeed, if this guy really is L, No, even if he's not L, I...I can't do anything to him. If what he's saying is true, it probably means he's already shown his face to my father. But now, if he were to die right after telling me who he was, it would only confirm their suspicions. Although it's obvious Hideki Ryuga is nothing more than an absurd alias, it still complicates things. Even if I get lucky and it isn't an alias, if I try to kill him by simply writing his name in the death note, I might accidentally picture the face of Ryuga the pop star, and end up killing him instead. And if this guy doesn't die, he'll know for a fact that I'm Kira. Is he really L? Does he already suspect that I'm Kira? It's hard to say how much he knows but I must be under suspicion. What other reason could he have for telling Soichiro Yagami's son that he's L? Does this mean that he's still suspicious of the people that Raye Penber was investigating before he died? Even so, I still don't see why he would reveal himself to me directly. I can't let him see any signs of distress. It's better if I just clear my mind._

"I didn't think this ceremony would be so interesting." Ryuk commented.

"Hey, Light." L greeted.

"You hear that? I think it's your new friend." Ryuk laughed.

"Eh, nice meeting you."

"No. The pleasure was mine."

L clambered into a black car. 'Natalie Misora' walked up to him.

"I'm coming with you today, am I right?" K asked.

"Yeah." L confirmed.

"What an amazing car!"

"A limousine?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll see you on campus." L waved goodbye.

"Yeah. Take care."

"That kid must come from some serious money."

"Plus he's at the top of the class? Where is the justice?" The onlookers gawked at the two.

"Hey, welcome home, Mr. To-Oh!" Sayu grinned.

"Damn it! He got me!" Light screamed once he was in his own room.

"Ah, what do you mean?" Ryuk asked.

"Damn L! I've never been so humiliated in my life."

"Hey, why don't you just do the Shinigami eye deal? Then you should have no problem killing him, right?"

"What good will Shinigami eyes do me if this is just a trap? If I kill him and it turns out that he's not really L, that would be like announcing to the real L that I am Kira."

"Sorry."

"Don't think that Shinigami killing people and human's killing people the same thing because they are not! I want nothing more than to kill him, but if I do it's like asking to get caught. Unfortunately the death note can only kill the person whose name is written in it. So it's not like I can arrange for someone else to kill him. It's inconvenient. That's the flaw with the death note."

 _Light is usually so calm, but he's snapped. This must be getting to him._

"At first I thought once I found out his name, I'd have him die in an accident or kill himself. However, none of them would do me any good unless I know with a 100% certainty that this guy is L. No. It's already too late to do anything about it since he's approached me and introduced himself as L. It doesn't matter how sure I am. Regardless of the cause of death, if L dies now, the police are going to suspect me. I underestimated him. I've never even considered the possibility that he would reveal his identity to me on purpose. He could be telling all the suspects the same thing. In fact it doesn't even have to be him. He could've sent a double instead. For L, this strategy acts as a solid defense and it allows him to confront Kira directly. He can defend and attack. He got me. It was a good move. I'm sure I haven't seen the last of Ryuga. He'll keep trying to move in on me, playing the absent-minded genius, and we'll pretend like nothing's going on. Hahaha. This is perfect. There's no reason for me to be worried. After all this is proof that they don't have anything on me yet. So this whole thing is nothing more than a contest between L and me. A match of wits. On the surface we'll be two friendly classmates, but in reality we'll actually be investigating each other. This is interesting, Ryuga. If it's my friendship you want, I'll gladly accept it. In time I'll earn your trust, And once you've told me what I want to know, there'll be no point keeping you alive. Then I'll kill you, with my hands if I have to." Light cackled.


	12. Doubt

"I have to admit I was surprised, Ryuga. I never thought you'd ask me to play tennis as a way to get to know each other." Light raised an eyebrow.

"Is it a problem for you?" Ryuga asked.

"Not at all, but when you first invited me to play,did you know how good I was?" Light bragged.

"Yes. He'll be fine, though. It's been a while, but at one time he was actually the British Junior Champion." Natalie smiled.

 _If I ask him if he's British, will he think I'm trying to find out more about him because I'm Kira?_

 _Well, can't hurt to try. Ryuga, were you raised in the UK?_

"I lived in England for about 5 years, when I was younger. But save your breath. Nothing in that story would reveal L's true identity, I promise you." L assured him.

"Oh, is that so?" Light challenged.

"Well, since it's our first match, why don't we just play single set, first one to six?"

"That's fine by me."

 _This is just a friendly game of tennis, nothing more. In and of itself, it won't determine if Light is Kira. But I know Kira hates to lose_. "Fifteen love."

"Whoa, Ryuga. You sure don't mess around."

"He who strikes first wins."

"What do you mean you're not at liberty to say." Kitamura demanded.

"I'm very sorry, sir. We're under orders from L and K not to discuss the case with anyone including you." Soichiro sighed.

"I'm not asking for details here, just what you're doing and where."

"I'm very sorry, sir."

"Hmm, you know, Yagami, it's been 4 months since this case came to the public's attention, and they want results. People are saying that the NPA is incompetent, that Land K are incompetent."

"With all due respect, sir, the rest of the department runs away with their tails between their legs and we're incompetent? Do you have any idea how many people are left at the task force headquarters these days? If you're concerned with public opinion, then you'll want to suppress the fact that most of our detectives would rather let the serial killer roam free than risk their lives.

Please excuse me."

"Yagami, what about this L character? Can he be trusted? And what about K?"

"In my opinion, they're a lot more capable than we are. Right now, even as we speak, they're risking their lives."

"Are these two really amateurs? Who are they anyway?"

"I think their names are Light Yagami and Hideki Ryuga. These are the same two guys who scored perfect on the exam. And look, there's the one girl who tied them." The boy pointed to Natalie who was watching the two boys with amusement with popcorn in hand.

 _Relax, Light. While it's true that Kira hates losing, it's also true that most people would_

 _rather win than lose. It's human nature._

 _Is he going to think that I'm kira if I go for the win? I suppose I could just lose on purpose, but if I'd do, it could work against me. Since he'd expect Kira to want to win, he might also expect me to throw the match to avoid suspicion. I don't see any way that he can profile me, based on a tennis match. So, I have to assume he has some other goal in mind. Either way, I'm not going to let him win!_

"Look at that. He's going for the win." K muttered as Light scored.

"That's 4 games all. Light Yagami to serve." A man called out.

"Haha. And just like that. We've got an umpire and a line judge." Ryuk laughed.

"Ah, you won't believe this. I thought I'd heard the name Light Yagami somewhere before, so I checked. He was the 02, 03 Junior High tennis champion. Apparently during the 3rd year award ceremony, he announced that he was hanging up his racket, and I guess he hasn't played competitively since." A boy announced.

"Hey, hey. What about my Ryuga? Don't tell me you haven't noticed him holding his own against this former junior high champ." Kyoko beamed.

 _Ha! That girl actually likes L. No I doubt it. She just has some childhood crush on him. Too bad he won't return the feeling. That guy is as emotionless as a rock._ K or Naomi laughed.

 _I can see the wheels turning, Light Yagami. I'm already in your head._

 _There's no way this tennis match would deepen our friendship. This is a token gesture, and an elaborate act to go through so we can say we're closer._

 _Because I wanted to play tennis with you, you'll assume that I'm preparing to take a step_

 _closer, laying the groundwork to get to know you better._

 _And then you're going to try and trap me, by getting me to say something that only Kira_

 _would know._

 _However, I'm sure you'll tell me you need to know if you can trust me first. And of course, the only way to win your trust would be to share what I know about Kira._

 _If you want me to discuss Kira with you, it only makes sense that I want to ask for proof that you ARE in charge of the investigation. And more importantly, that you are really L as you say you are._

 _So it goes without saying that the first thing you are going to want from me is…_

 _Some kind of confirmation from a third party that you really are L, which means…_

 _We'll have to go to the task force headquarters._

 _In all things, one cannot win with defense alone. To win, you must attack!_

"Game and set. Won by Light Yagami. Six games to four!" The judge announced.

"Just as I expected, you beat me." L commented.

"It's been a while since I had played that hard. I'm feeling kind of thirsty. Plus there's something I wanted to ask you about. You wanna go somewhere for a drink?"Light suggested.

"You humored me with the tennis match. The least I can do is answer some of your questions. But before this conversation goes any further, there's something I must tell you."

"What's that?"

"I suspect that you, Light Yagami, are in fact Kira. Now, if you still wanna ask me something, then please go ahead."

"Haha, you think I'm Kira?"

"Well, when I say I suspect you, it's only a 1% possibility. That aside, I don't mind telling you that once I'm sure you aren't Kira and I can verify that your deductive skills are as strong as I think they are, I'd like nothing more than to have you work with me on this investigation."

 _1%, huh? That was well-worded. Because no matter how little he says he suspects me, it means he has grounds to prevent me from meeting anyone of the task force. It was quite the preemptive move on his part. He got me._

"This coffee shop is one of my favorites in the area, and if we sit here there's no chance of anyone overhearing us." Light said.

"Thanks for showing me this place. I can see why you like it."

"Not to mention we're so out-of-the-way here, no one's gonna give you a hard time about the way you sit."

"I don't sit like this because I want to, I have to sit like this. You see, if I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would immediately be reduced by roughly 40%. So, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Right. I'm sure that can wait until you're convinced that I'm not Kira. So please, let's talk about whatever you want to."

"You're under no obligation to do this, but would you mind submitting yourself to a test of your deductive reasoning skills?"

"Sure. Why not? Sounds like fun."

"All right. Then, We can begin by taking a look at these. Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while under Kira's control just prior to their deaths. None of this information has been made public. You can take as long as you want to look them over. Please let me know what you think."

"Very interesting." _Come on, this is child's play. There's a print number on the back of each these photographs. If I ignored this fact and was still able to come up the phrase, "L, do you know gods of death love apples", what would that mean? Clearly if I read it the way Kira intended on my first attempt, I'd only look more suspicious. But the fact that I'm able to solve this silly code isn't enough on its own to prove that I am Kira._ "It would be quite amazing to learn that not only could Kira kill others but could also control his victims' actions. I think Kira wrote these and it seems he's encoded a message for you and K as well, almost as if he's mocking you two. If you align these notes up side by side and take a look at the first letter of every line, it reveals a message. Rearranging it like this gives you: "L and K, do you know, Gods of Death love apples."

But there are obvious print numbers on the back of all these photographs. Arrange it in that order, we get "L and K, do you know, love apples Gods of Death." Haha, doesn't sound right, and based on that, it's hard to believe that Kira would have wanted you to read it this way."

"That's incorrect."

"Huh?"

"The thing is, there were actually four photographs. When we add this one, it reads, "L, do you know Gods of Death who love apples have red hands.""

 _It's a fake! I never made any criminal write the letter in this fourth picture. Is he stupid?_ "But seeing as I only have three photographs to work with, my deduction was perfect."

"No, it wasn't. The truth is, there were four of them. If you'd figured that out, it would have been perfect. Even though you knew the message was incomplete, you decided that there were only three notes. You never even considered that there might be a fourth. What do you make of that?"

 _Damn him! This wasn't just about gauging my deductive reasoning skills. He wanted to see what my reaction would be. If I keep falling for his tricks, I'll be playing right into his hands. "_ Well, you got me there. I didn't think of that. In any case, the likelihood this message will lead you to Kira is not very great. Besides, we all know Gods of Death don't exist."

"If you were me, faced with someone who might be Kira, how would you go about establishing this person's innocence or guilt if you need to be absolutely sure?"

"I would probably try to get him to say something that was never made public in any way, something that only Kira could know. Kind of like what you are doing just now."

"Truly amazing! What's incredible is that I've asked countless detectives that same question and it took most of them minutes to even come up with an answer. But you...you immediately thought of a scenario in which Kira is speaking directly to the investigator. I'm impressed. You'll make a fine detective, Light."

"Haha, but it's a bit of a double edged sword. The more impressive my answer is, the more of a suspect I'll become."

"Yes. It's about 3% now. However, it's made me-"

"Hello, my name is Natalie Misora, I'm here to take your order." K interrupted them.

"I'll take green tea, no sugar." Light ordered.

"Okay. I'm sorry I couldn't help overhear. You said 'it's about 3% now. L, darling, you know it's actually around 95%, but don't worry. I'm only 5% behind you." K smiled.

"Wha-? How does she know that you're L?" Light sputtered.

"Oh. Right. This is K, please refer to her as Natalie Misora, or Silena Chan." L introduced carelessly.

"Why were you listening to our conversation?" Light asked.

"I have a right to know things if I'm leading this investigation." Natalie defended.

"Are you sure it's not because you're so stupid you have to resort to spying." Light taunted. L sucked in air.

 _Not a good idea Light. Not a good idea._

"Ow! What was that for." Light exclaimed as a black stiletto hit him in the face.

"Well, you don't get a tip." L joked.

"So you wanted a decaf coffee, no sugar, right?" K asked innocently.

"Excuse me." L's phone went off, along with K's.

"Ah, there goes mine."

"Yes?"

"Ryuzaki and Silena, I have some bad news."

"Light. Your father is…"

"Light, it's your.."

"My father...He had a-"

"Heart attack!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow. Have them call home if you need me to bring anything. Light, you take care of him, Okay?" Sachiko asked.

"Sure." Light nodded. "So the doctors think stress was the only cause?"

"Yeah. To be honest I thought it was Kira when I first collapsed, but I'll be alright. It seems I've been pushing myself a bit too hard lately." Soichiro confirmed.

"Indeed, it must have added to your stress knowing that Light is a suspect in this investigation." K added.

"You actually told my father that?" Light raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. In fact we've told him everything. It's true he even knows that I am L and she's K." L agreed.

"Hm." Light sighed.

"That's correct. This man is L and this woman is K. To protect their identity, we on the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki, and Silena but make no mistake. It's them." Soichiro said.

 _These two humans are the real L and K. My father wouldn't lie. The very same man who's been controlling the police up to this point. If I get rid of him and the rest of the investigative team... No, no, let's face it. It wouldn't be that simple. There's no need to rush. I have time to sit back and watch. But for now, I'm the Light Yagami, who is worried for his father._

"So, Ryuzaki, now that you had a chance to talk to my son, is he cleared as a suspect?" Soichiro asked.

"When I say I suspect him, you should know it's very minor. We've gone over this, but I'll explain it again. Not long ago Kira killed 12 FBI agents who'd come to Japan to assist us.

They were instructed to follow people connected to the Japanese police. One of these agents, Raye Penber, exhibited unusual behavior before he died." L spoke, and K nodded in agreement,

"I understand. And I was one of the people Raye Penber was investigating before he died.

It only makes sense I'd be a suspect. No. To be more precise, there's no one else you could suspect." Light sighed.

"I find Light's deductive powers quite impressive. He's always quick and to the point." K pointed out.

"Ryuga, I'd like to help with the investigation. My father has erased any doubts I might've had regarding your true identity. Also I'd like nothing more than to catch Kira, so I can prove once and for all that I'm not him." Light requested.

"No, Light. This is the time in your life when you should be studying to become a police officer.

It won't be too late to join us once you're done." Soichiro shook his head.

"C'mon, Dad, what are you talking about? Who knows how many years that'll take? Besides, don't you remember my promise... that if something ever happened to you, I would find Kira and make sure he gets executed." Light protested.

 _I refuse to believe that my son could turn out to be Kira._ Soichiro thought.

 _This doesn't seem like an act to if it is, it's too cheesy._ K scoffed.

"Light, listen to me. Kira is pure evil. We can all agree on that. But recently I've started thinking of this whole situation in a different way. What is truly evil is the power to kill people. And any person who has come to possess this kind of power is cursed. No matter how you use it, no true happiness can be obtained like that, not by killing other people." Soichiro explained.

"I think you're absolutely right. If Kira is just a normal person who somehow obtained this awful power, I would say that he is cursed." L agreed.

"Ryuzaki, I'm sorry for all this trouble, but I'll be back at work as soon as the doctor's let me out of here." Soichiro apologized.

"Excuse me. Visiting hours were over ten minutes ago." A woman walked in.

"Natalie, what would it take to get you to believe that I'm not Kira? Please, isn't there something?" Light pleaded.

"If you aren't Kira, it won't be necessary. Let things run their course, and the truth will be revealed." K said.

"I can't take this any more. Put yourself in my position. How do you think it feels to be accused of being Kira." Light begged.

K thought for a second, then she replied, "It was one of the worst feelings ever."

"What if you were to lock me up for a month in a place with no TV or any other kind of access to the outside world and keep a constant watch over me?" Light suggested.

 _Would any normal person be willing to go to such extreme measures to clear their name?_ L thought.

 _No normal person suggest that. I learned that in college._ K realized. _92% now._

"That's no good. I can't do anything that would deprive you of basic human rights. And furthermore, it's completely nonsense for the investigator to take suggestions from his suspect." L reasoned.

"I understand." Light bowed his head.

"Don't worry so much. Be patient. It'll become apparent to us if you're not Kira. And listening to that conversation between you and your father, I was almost convinced you might not be him.

Light, please take good care of Mr. Yagami." K waved goodbye, then got into the car after L.

"Ah, one more thing. I know I agreed to help with the investigation, but I don't think I'll be able to do much until my father is healthy again." Light said.

"Yes, of course. Well, then." L nodded.

 _Hideki Ryuga...Ryuzaki... Natalie Misora…Silena Chan They're the two I've been fighting this whole time. What is their real name?_ Light glared.

 _Light Yagami. Are you not Kira?_ L and K thought.

"Ryuk." Light started.

"Huh?" The shinigami asked.

"I've never once felt cursed since I picked up the death note. In fact the thought never even crossed my mind. I'm happier than I've ever been. All thanks to this power, I'm going to create a perfect world."

"Honestly I could care less whether you feel cursed or happy to have a notebook. I'll leave that sentimental crap to you humans. But, normally humans who come into contact with a Shinigami have nothing but misfortune."

"That's interesting. But I have no intentions of repeating that pattern."

"Haha, well, I hope you're right about that."

"What is this crap? Don't tell me this is your idea of a proposal. Listen. You people must think that just mentioning Kira's name is enough to get us the ratings we need, huh? Well, you are wrong! Our program gets the ratings because we cover the stories that the other stations won't touch. If it bleeds, it leads. What I need is a good freaking story, not this crap. Now get out there and find me a story!" The man demanded.

"But the police won't talk, sir. It's been impossible to get details from them lately." Other said.

"Idiot! I don't pay you to complain. If they won't give you anything, then get creative!"

A girl walked in and gave the man a parcel, "Mr. Demegawa, sir. This is for you."

"What is it? So who is this from? Huh? Hahaha. Now, this is more like it. This is what I call a story. It's almost too good to be true. A message to the world from Kira. "If you do not broadcast these tapes, I will kill your company's board of directors one by one." Who wouldn't air these? If this is for real, our ratings are gonna go through the roof. Holy crap! I'm so excited that I feel like I'm having a heart attack here!" Demegawa exclaimed.


	13. Assault

"Regarding Naomi Misora's disappearance, shouldn't we open an investigation into this matter?" Ukita questioned.

"If we do, it should be coordinated separately from the Kira case. Also we'll have to use police sketches instead of actual photos." L instructed, and K nodded.

"We're talking about someone who's been missing for four months already. Chances are she's probably dead." Aizawa pointed out.

"If you're right about that, I find it odd that we haven't found her body yet. If we did, it might provide us with some much needed physical evidence." K said. "And if she is dead, at least she'll be with her fiance."

"Ryuzaki, Silena, something seems to be happening on Sakura TV." Watari explained.

"In other words, all of our reporters and staff here are Kira's hostages. Aside from that, we have a professional obligation to share this message with you. I assure you that this is not a hoax, and that Sakura TV is not airing this tape for the purposes of sensationalism." The man reported.

"Kira's hostages?" Aizawa questioned.

"What is this!?" Matsuda asked.

"Four days ago, our program director here at Sakura TV received four tapes. After a thorough examination, there could be no doubt that they were from Kira himself." The reporter continued.

"Our audience rating should go up 60. No, more like 70% after this!" Demegawa smirked.

"The first tape we received contained a prediction regarding the time of deaths of two suspected criminals who'd recently been arrested. And as predicted, at the exact time that Kira had specified, both men died suddenly of heart attacks yesterday." The TV said.

"If what they're saying is true, it's clearly something that only Kira could do." L muttered.

"Kira has instructed us to air this second tape today at exactly 5:59 p.m., and we do intend to comply with his demands. This tape should offer proof of his powers by predicting yet another death. Beyond that, we understand that it contains a message to all the people of the world from Kira."

"This has to be another fake, don't you think?" Aizawa inquired.

"I doubt it. I'm pretty sure even Sakura TV wouldn't stoop that low." Matsuda commented.

"And now, the video." The reporter introduced.

"Ahem. I am Kira. If this video is being aired on April 18th, at exactly 5:59 p.m. as I requested, then the time now is 5:59. 47,48, 49...please change the channel to Taiyo TV. The news anchor Mr. Kazuhiko Hibima would die of a heart attack at exactly 6 o'clock." The screen changed to the word 'Kira' written in the same font as L's insignia, almost as if to mock him.

"Change it!" L and K demanded. The screen changed to a group of people trying to wake someone.

"Oh, it can't be!" Matsuda gasped.

"How could he?" Aizawa questioned.

"Change the channel back." L instructed. "And I need you to bring us another TV, Watari. No, make it two."

"Yes." Watari left the room to get said TVs.

"This is punishment. I will present you with another victim. My next target is NHN TV commentator Mr. Seiji Komaizumi, who's scheduled to appear in a live broadcast. He too has dared to defy Kira." Kira explained.

"Silena?" Matsuda asked.

"Change it to the channel 24." she requested, as another man lay dead. "Please change it back."

"Now that you've seen proof of my powers, you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira."

 _Kira said that he was going to send a message to the people of the world._ "Stop this broadcast. We can't let him finish." L screamed.

"Get Sakura TV on the line!" Matsuda ordered.

"It's no good. I'm trying, but none of my contact at the station have their phones on." Aizawa complained.

"And nobody's picking up a reception, either."

"Damn it!" Ukita cursed.

"Oh, Ukita."

"I'll stop this broadcast myself if that's what it takes."

"People of the world, please listen to me. The last thing I want to do is kill the innocent. I hate evil and love justice. I've always thought of the police as allies, not as enemies."

"Damn you, Kira." L muttered.

 _Love justice my ass._ K glared. _If you love justice so damn much why did you kill all those FBI agents? Huh? Answer me that, you son of a bitch._

"I intend to create a new world. A perfect world that is free from evil. If you agree to join me in my mission, I know we can make it happen. And as long as no one tries to catch me, I promise that the innocent will not die." Kira swore.

"C'mon!" Ukita groaned.

"Even if you don't agree with me, all I ask is that you NOT publicize your views in the media. If you can do that, you will be spared. All you have to do now is be patient. I'll create a better world that we can all enjoy. Say goodbye to the world as you know it. Soon we'll have a new world brought by benevolence and inhabited by kind-hearted, honest people. Try to imagine it. A world where the police and I would…" The TV turned off.

"Sachiko." The Chief of Police looked to his wife.

"Darling. This can't be good for your health. Please, you have to rest." Sachiko pleaded.

"Sachiko, like it or not, I am still in charge of the Kira task force." Soichiro argued.

"Huh." Sachiko turned the TV back on.

"Damn! It's locked! This is the police. Open up!" Ukita demanded and the guard shook his head. "You...you idiots!... Ugh." Ukita collapsed in front of the door.

"Hello? Damn, it's still not going through." Aizawa cussed.

"We're interrupting the program to take you live outside the Sakura TV studio." The reporter announced.

"Oh, Aizawa, look!" Matsuda pointed out.

"What?" Aizawa gasped.

"As you can see, someone has collapsed just outside the door. Again we're coming to you live from the Sakura TV building." The reporter said excitedly.

"Ukita. Damn it! Kira did this!"

"Mr. Aizawa, where are you going?" L asked even though he knew the answer.

"Where do you think? I've gotta go there." Aizawa replied.

"You can't. Please think about this rationally." L argued.

"What? You want me to just sit here and watch TV?" Aizawa shouted.

"If this truly is the work of Kira, you'll just meet the same fate if you go there." K explained.

"You told us that Kira couldn't kill without a name. So, how could this happen?" Aizawa yelled at the two detectives.

"The aliases and fake police IDs were worthless." Matsuda said worriedly. "What are we gonna do, K? You don't think Kira has all our names already, do you?"

"That's a definite possibility. However, if that's the case, you think it would be easier for him to kill off the entire task force before making a move. Initially I deduced that Kira needed both a name and a face to kill." She stated.

"But from what we've just seen, I'd say it's not entirely impossible that Kira can kill with only a face. All I know for sure is that Kira is either in that TV station or he's somewhere close by, in a place where he can watch everyone who enters the building. Perhaps he's in the…" L started.

"If Kira is in the area, then, isn't that why we should get down there?"Aizawa argued.

"For all we know, he could have just placed surveillance cameras in the area. If we rushed down there unprepared, all of us would be killed." K sighed.

"Wasn't that you two who said we'd have to risk our lives to catch Kira?" Aizawa accused.

"We meant what we said, but risking my life to catch Kira and doing something that we know it would cost me my life are two entirely different things." K bit her lip.

"Oh yeah?" Aizawa fumed.

"Please control yourself. We've lost Ukita. I understand you wanna go there, but if something was to happen to you as well…" L gripped his leg tightly.

"I now await response from the police. They must now decide whether or not they'll help me create a better world for all of us. Please announce your decisions on the 6 o'clock news in four days. I prepared two videos; one to be aired if the answer is "yes", and another if the answer is "no"." Kira instructed.

"Huh?" Sachiko watched as a truck crashed through the doors of the Sakura TV building.

"What the hell's going on? Hey, step out of the vehicle!" The guard commanded.

"The Kira video. Show me which studio they're broadcasting it from." Soichiro stepped out of the truck, holding a gun.

"A vehicle has just driven through the front door of the TV station." The reporter announced.

"Well, that's one way to get into the building without being seen by Kira." K laughed.

"But who would?" Aizawa asked.

"This is the police. Stop this broadcast immediately!" Soichiro commanded.

"Who are you?" Demegawa asked skeptically.

"Hand all tapes over to me. Do you understand?" Soichiro ordered.

"Hold on, officer, it's not that simple. My hands are tied here. If we stop this broadcast, he'll kill all of us."

"Shut up! You're going to be killed right here and now, if you don't give those tapes to me."

"What? C'mon. What the hell do you think you're doing? This is crazy!"

"This is happening because you chose to make Kira a celebrity. You're getting exactly what you deserve! I want every single copy you have, and don't make me ask you again."

"I-I got it. I'll give'em to you. No problem. Just please stop wielding the gun around.

You're acting like a mad man!"

"Huh! We're still outside Sakura TV. As you can see, a police car has just arrived." The reporter said excitedly.

"So we are not alone. There are still other officers out there who are willing to stand up to Kira." Matsuda grinned.

"Mr. Aizawa. You know Deputy Director Kitamura's cell phone number, right?" K asked.

"Aizawa. I told you not to call me on this phone." Kitamura sighed.

"This is K. There's something I need you to do for me There may be police officers who would see this broadcast and feel moved to take action in the name of justice. If you don't take control of this situation quickly, there will be a disaster." She commanded.

"But technically we are not supposed to be involved in this case. Huh?" He reasoned.

"Two police officers have just collapsed on the sidewalk. I think we may be in danger. We're moving away from the scene." The reporter announced.

"I understand, K. I see your point, now. Tell me what I should do." He awaited instructions.

"Detective Superintendent Yagami." Watari read off his phone.

"Call him back immediately and give me the phone." K yelled.

"I need to speak with Silena." Soichiro spoke from the other side.

"Yes, it's me. Mr. Yagami, so you are the one driving the police van." She asked.

"That's right. I couldn't just sit and watch. I've confiscated all of the tapes. I'm bringing them to you." He confirmed.

"But what about your condition? Are you alright?" She inquired.

"I'm feeling just fine. To be honest with you, I don't think I've ever felt more alive. So what do you think I should do now? I'd say going up the front would be too dangerous. But I could always use the police van again." He questioned her.

"Please hold the line for a second." K quickly held the other phone to her ear. "Deputy Director Kitamura, it was chief Yagami who just drove into the building. Are your preparations complete?"

"It's done as you requested." Kitamura confirmed,

"Mr. Yagami, listen carefully. In exactly 5 minutes, I want you to come out the front entrance." K ordered.

"You want me to exit through the front entrance?" Soichiro gasped.

"Make sure there are no gaps! Do not reveal your faces! We know that Kira is not in the building. He is outside." The man, who was completely covered up, commanded,

"Thank you. I'll drive myself." Soichiro said.

"I understand." Ide nodded.

"Listen up. There's a very good chance that Kira is still in the vicinity of the station. As you move out, proceed with caution. You are not to remove your helmets!"

"There you have it! The police have refused to cooperate with Kira! Instead they are preparing to fight. And, as much as I fear for my own life in saying so, this is right, and it must be done! Kira has become a threat to our very constitution. And its citizens, we must fight back! I am NHN's golden news anchor Kouki Tanakabara." The announcer declared.

"Hm? Chief Yagami!" Matsuda greeted.

"Welcome back, Chief." Aizawa nodded.

"Hmmm. Ryuzaki, Silena, I apologize for taking matters into my own hands. I have to admit I got a little bit carried away. Here. These are all of the tapes and an envelope. Everything Kira sent to the station is in here." Soichiro handed the envelope to L and K.

"I can't thank you enough." L said.

"I think I'd better rest for a minute." Soichiro sighed.

 _Mr. Yagami. This won't go to waste. A postmark is from Osaka. But Kira can control his victims before they die, so he could have delivered it from Osaka without going there himself._ L thought. "Mr. Aizawa, can you please take this to the crime lab right away?"

"I still have a couple of friends down there. I'll make sure they go over every inch of this." Aizawa remembered.

"That's good. Please do so. While you're doing that, I'm going to watch these tapes to see if they can tell us anything." L nodded.

"Don't forget me, bitch. I'm reviewing the videos too." K rolled her eyes.

"Well, what do you make of these?" Soichiro asked.

"They were definitely interesting. If the police had said "yes" and agreed to cooperate with Kira, tape No.3 was supposed to be aired. Tape 4, if the answer was "no". Tape 3 covers the terms of cooperation. Put simply, he's requesting that we broadcast the names of more criminals. He seems particularly interested in those who have assaulted others, or those who have somehow hurt or taken advantage of the weak and defenseless. Of course Kira would play the role of a judge on all of this. Furthermore, as proof that the police are willing to cooperate, he wants police officials and L to appear on TV to make a public announcement that we plan to cooperate with him." L explained.

"Huh?" The men questioned

"Bitch forgot about me." K muttered.

"He needs us to reveal our faces. That way, he can kill us if the police do anything suspicious. In other words, he'll hold our lives as insurance." L clarified.

"Not mine. Bitch forgot about me." K pointed out.

"I see. So what about the content of the fourth video if we were to answer "no"." Soichiro nodded.

"The wording is different, but he more or less says the same thing. Mr. Yagami, it should go without saying that the answer is "no". Please have someone take tape No.4 over to Sakura TV, and authorize them to broadcast it." L ordered.

"I can only say it's a shame that your answer is "no". It's clear that the police will still oppose me. This will not go unpunished." The contorted voice stated. "So I start by taking the life of either the director general of the NPA or the detective known as L, who's currently leading the investigation against me. The director general or L, who would pay the price for your refusal to cooperate in the creation of the peaceful world? You have 4 days to decide."

"It looks like I've even got God on my side now. Well, I suppose it's actually a god of death." Light smirked.

"Hyahya. Seems like it." Ryuk cackled.

"It would appear that another Shinigami has come to the human world. And somehow that Shinigami's death note has fallen into the hands of someone who agrees with Kira. And this person most likely has the Shinigami eyes, which makes him very deadly. His power to kill surpasses even mine. One thing is for certain. If I leave things, I'm pretty sure that L will be finished off within the next four days. However, I can't forgive this impostor for the way he is tarnishing Kira's image with these senseless killings. Not to mention if he slips up and gets caught, the death note could be discovered and that I cannot allow. I cannot afford to leave him alone for much longer." Light thought out loud.

"Hahaha." Ryuk laughed.

"Therefore, what needs to happen very soon is for me to join the task force. It'll allow me to keep track of L and this fake Kira." Light concluded.

"Ryuzaki, I'm afraid it's as you thought. Several of our member countries have weighed. And it seems they are in favor of having the real L appear on TV." Soichiro reported.

"I think that's the most appropriate choice, given the options. Well we still have 3 days before it happens. Maybe we can find some countermeasure." L said.

"After all this, it would really annoy me, if he's killed by the first person who jump on the Kira bandwagon." K sighed. "He is my only friend."

"Silena, what do you mean by that?" Soichiro asked.

"That there is a strong possibility that this Kira is a fake." K replied.

"No, we should think of him more as a second Kira." L argued.

"A Second Kira?"

"I-I don't understand. Why do you think he's a copycat? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I looked at the victims he used for his prediction on Tape No.1. Their purpose was to prove to Sakura TV staff that he is Kira. Both their names were only reported in tabloids and daytime talk show, so they weren't exactly hardened criminals. Though real Kira has no need to prove himself using such insignificant criminals. But from the perspective of the second Kira, he'd want to make absolutely certain that he didn't predict the death of the criminal who could be killed by the real Kira first."

"Ryuzaki, have you had to put a number on that? What's the probability of a second Kira?"

"This time I'd say it's more than 70%. I really don't like the way he operates. It's not like Kira."

"How do you people not see this shit!" K groaned.

"What do we not see?" L inquired.

"This new Kira, or Second Kira, if you prefer, isn't a 'him' as y'all keep on referring to. This Kira is a girl. She is female!" K sighed.

"How do you know?" Matsuda asked.

"First off, out of the two genders, which gender tends to be more dramatic? Women. I'm not stereotyping or anything, but it's true. Second off, girls tend to fangirl more than guys fanboy, and obviously this second Kira just wants the OG Kira to recognize. Maybe Kira helped this girl somehow. Maybe Kira killed someone who personally affected her. Like maybe killed her kidnapper or something."

"Since when did you become so good at this?" L questioned.

"Since I got a damn degree in it, dumbass. I have a degree in Psychology and Gender Studies, remember?" K rolled her eyes.

"Right."

"Dumbass."

"Not like him?" Matsuda remembered.

"In the past he has traditionally avoided killing innocent people, with the exception of those who were trying to catch him. Anyway, if we can capture one Kira, I think that will provide us with a lot of inside of how we can find the other one. Mr. Yagami, I'd like your permission to ask your son to cooperate with us on this investigation." L explained.

"If you want my son to join the task force, does this mean you no longer suspect him?" Soichiro asked hopefully.

"Well, I can't say that he's been completely cleared, but his deductive ability would be invaluable to us right now."

"So that's what it means. If my son wants to cooperate with you, then I have no reason to prevent it."

"I appreciate that. However, please don't tell him that we think this latest Kira might be a fake. I don't want him to know that yet. We want to make it appear to him that we're still chasing the same Kira."

"Misa, I gave that Death Note to you. So why not use it for yourself?" The Shinigami floated behind her.

"I am using it for myself, because I believe in what Kira is doing. I want to know what kind of person Kira is. I want to meet him and talk to him. That's the only reason I sent all those videos to that TV station. I had to find some way to make Kira notice me And I'd say that probably got his attention. Don't you think?" The blonde girl skipped along happily.

"It's a dangerous game you're playing. There's a chance you could be killed. Do you understand?" The Shinigami warned somberly.

"It's all right. I'm sure that Kira is kind to those with pure hearts. And if it came down to that, I'm still stronger than he is, because I have the eyes." Her brown eyes flashed red. The trace of the Shinigami eyes.


	14. Love

"Light, Ryuzaki and Silena has decided that they'd like you to help with the investigation. If you are still interested, then you need to come here right away." Soichiro called his son.

"OK, Dad." He answered. _All along I've been trying to find a way to get involved in the investigation. But I never thought they would actually approach me. Now I'll have access to classified information about the case, which means I can learn more about this other Kira._

 _I need to figure out what this impostor is all about before someone else on the task force beats me to it._

"Thank you, Light." L shook his hand.

"Not at all. After all, I want to catch Kira as much as you do, Ryuga." Light nodded.

"I'll have to ask that you call me Ryuzaki here." L responded.

"Huh?" Light asked.

"I'm Matsui." Matsuda greeted.

"I'm Aihara." Aizawa said.

"I'm Asahi." Soichiro spoke.

"And I'm Silena, and if you call me anything but that, I will cut you." K threatened, pulling out a butterfly knife and twirling it around her finger.

"Yes, of course." Light sweatdropped. "Then perhaps I should call myself Light Asahi?"

"Yes, please do. To keep things simple from this point on, I'll call you Light. OK. Let's get down to work." L concluded.

"You can start by looking over all the information we've collected. I'd also like you to examine these videos. They were sent to the TV station, but were never aired. For security reasons you are not permitted to take notes and all materials must remain here." K ordered.

"I understand." He agreed.

"We will begin now." L replied.

"...Light..."

"Well then, we need to ask Light Yagami to assist us, however we cannot tell him that we are considering the possibility of a second Kira." K instructed.

"Are you serious? But wouldn't that make working together a bit difficult?" Matsuda pointed out.

"He's right. Why even bother asking him to work with us?" Aizawa argued.

"Well, she didn't mean "indefinitely". She's just curious to see what his impression of these tapes will be prior to knowing ours. Light's deductive reasoning is really quite may suspect that these tapes are the work of a second Kira, an impostor or a copycat imitating the original." L countered.

"But the basis for the second Kira theory is that the victims of these recent killings are minor criminals who don't fit the normal profile. Without hearing our explanation, how would Light ever know that?"

"Yes, but there's more to it than that. The suspect that we've been pursuing up until now has needed both a name and a face to kill his victims, but there is something different happening here. Recall that Mr. Ukita was killed the moment he arrived at the station. And this Kira demanded only that I appear on TV, but made no request for my name. This implies that the second Kira only needs to see a person's face to kill them. So I'll ask Light to look cover all of our information as well as our video evidence. If he comes to the conclusion that there could be a second suspect, then he'll be almost completely cleared the suspicion in this case." L explained.

"But how will that prove anything?" Soichiro inquired.

"Logically, if he is really Kira, he'll want me dead seeing as I'm the one leading the investigation against him right now. And the way things are going, if I comply with this new subject to demand that I appear on TV in three days, there's a very good chance I will die. I can't see the real Kira jeopardizing such an easy opportunity to get rid of me." L clarified.

"OK, but are you suggesting that if my son does not come to the same conclusion, there's even a greater chance that he is guilty?" Soichiro raised an eyebrow.

"No. In that case, there will still only be a 5% chance. We will inform him that we are investigating the possibility of a copycat and have him cooperate with us as planned. Mmm." K assured him

"Now that you have seen proof of my powers, you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira. And this doesn't mean..." The tape continued.

 _This video is so mediocre. It's making me sick to my stomach, and I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm the real one? But this is a complete disgrace to everything Kira stands for. Something's not right here. Seems unusual that no one bother to explain this video to me. It's not like them. Well, in any case, I'd be stupid to comment on it. It's probably best if I say nothing. If I just leave it alone, L dies. Then I'll only have to get rid of K._ Light thought.

"So, what do you make of this, Light? Have you come to any conclusions?" K leaned against the chair Light was sitting on.

 _Damn! It's a test!_ Light glared. "It's hard to say for sure, but there might be another person out there with Kira's power."

"With Kira's power? W-what do you mean by that, Light?" Soichiro questioned.

"At the very least, I'd say this tape was not created by the Kira we're familiar with. It's extremely out of character for him to use these kinds of victims for his killings. And since we've established that he needs a name and a face to kill, it makes you wonder how he was able to kill that detective and those two officers right outside the television station like that." Light explained.

"I-It's the same." Aizawa gasped.

"That's almost exactly how L, I mean, Ryuzaki said it." Matsuda said.

 _That was incredible, Light. Now any doubts about you should be resolved._ Soichiro beamed.

"I think you are exactly right about that. We also believe that this is the work of a second Kira."

 _I knew it!_ Light thought. "So you knew about this all along, Natalie, sorry, Silena? Which means this was just another one of your tests?"

"It wasn't my intention to test you. The truth is, if L and I were the only ones who thought there was a second Kira, it wouldn't be too convincing. But the fact that we both came to the same conclusion makes the theory that much more believable. As expected you did not disappoint us. You've been a great help. It's decided, then. First, we must focus on stopping this copy cat. From what we've seen, he sympathizes with the real Kira, but clearly lacks the sophistication. I think he might even be willing to obey the original. If so, we could lure him into a trap by sending our own message from the real Kira." K spoke.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You literally took the words right out of my mouth." Light nodded.

"Oh, and Light, we would like you to play the part of the real Kira." The two detective decided.

"Huh? Me, as Kira?" Light questioned.

"Yes. You are the only one I can think of who would be able to pull something like this off. At any rate, we don't have time to waste." L explained.

"Do you think you could script a message from Kira in time for it to be aired on this evening's national news?" K offered.

"Hahaha!" Ryuk cackled.

 _Damn them! They must've been planning this from the beginning. It's the only reason I'm here._ Light glared.

"Ryuzaki, does this look OK? I think I managed to make it believable."

"Mmm. I think you've done an excellent job with this. However, if we don't omit the part that says "You are free to kill L," then I'm gonna end up dead." L pointed out.

"And if Ryu ended up dead, I'll kill everyone who was responsible." K grinned insanely.

"Hahaha. Sorry, I guess I got carried away playing the part. I figured if I was him, I'd probably demand you be killed. I was improvising. Feel free to change it to whatever you like." Light smiled nervously.

"Sounds good."

"OK, Aihara. The script is ready. I'll leave it to you." K instructed.

"All right."

"And now a shocking announcement. In response to the frightening Kira video aired on Sakura TV only a few days ago, an anonymous individual has contacted us claiming to be the real Kira.

In short, he has demanded of the network as well as the several others that we air the message you are now about to see. I would also like to mention that the NPA has granted us permission to air this video. Is this the real Kira? No one knows for sure. But we can only hope this video will provide us with some much-needed answers." The television reported.

"I am Kira." Light's modified voice rang out.

"It worked! I knew he'd answer me." Misa bounced up and down on her bed.

"The true Kira. The one who was broadcast on Sakura TV several days ago is a pretender, a fake.

The purpose of this message is to communicate my will to this impostor. I have chosen to be lenient with him for the time being, only because I believe he wishes to cooperate with me in the creation of the new world. But I want to make it absolutely clear that the taking of the innocent lives is against my will. If this person claiming to be me is truly sympathetic to my cause, and wishes to be of some help, I ask two things of him: that he refrains from killing aimlessly, and that he agrees to abide by my basic principle."

"Yay! Now where is the camcorder?" She said, looking around her room.

"What are you planning to do?" Rem asked the girl.

"Uh? Hello? Would you really need to ask? I'm going to reply to him, of course." She replied.

"Ryuzaki, we have a reply from the second Kira." Watari informed them.

"What?" Aizawa gaped.

"Really?" Matsuda marveled.

"I'll be bringing over the envelope and tape that we've received, and in the meantime I'm streaming a copy of the video so you can view it on your end." Watari continued.

"Kira, thank you for your reply. Please do not worry. I'll follow orders and do as you say." The tape started.

"Wow." Matsuda gasped.

"It worked!" Aizawa exclaimed.

"No shit, Sherlock." Silena muttered.

 _"I will do as you say", huh, this guy's gonna be no help at all. If this fake had any idea what my wishes were, he'd insist that L appear on the TV and kill him anyway. How could you fall for something like this? Damn it!_ Light seethed.

"I really want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes, but you don't have to worry. I will never try to kill you. That's a promise." The Second Kira continued.

 _What the hell is he thinking? Talking about Shinigami eyes in a public message like this._ Light thought.

"What's this having the eyes supposed to mean? Is it a code?" Aizawa questioned.

"Yeah." Matsuda agreed.

"Please tell me how I can meet you without the police knowing. You'll think of something. And when we meet, we can confirm identities by showing our Shinigami to each other." The tape came to an end.

"Shinigami?" The task force asked.

 _He's a liability. If I don't do something about him quickly-_ Light thought.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Ryuzaki screamed, falling over. Silena rushed over to help her friend.

"Ryuzaki! You, all right?" Light asked, taking a step closer to the two detectives.

Silena whipped around and pulled something from the inside of her jacket. A gun. "Back off, bitch." She snarled.

"S-shinigami? Am I supposed to believe that? That shinigami actually exist?" Ryuzaki whimpered.

"Shhhh." Silena switched her attention and comforted him. "Darling, everything will be alright."

"That's impossible." Matsuda reasoned.

"Obviously they don't exist." Aizawa agreed.

"Yes, that's right, Ryuzaki. Listen to yourself. Of course shinigami don't exist." Light lied with a certain apple-loving shinigami looking over his shoulder.

"Mmm...You're probably right, but I remember that Kira had those prisoners write something suggesting the existence of shinigami." Ryuzaki said. Silena pulled him up into a standing position.

"So based on that fact, perhaps we're dealing with the same person after all. That will differently explain why we are hearing the same words." Soichiro suggested.

"I don't think so, because if this was the same person, it's highly unlikely he would have responded to our video in the first place. And why would he agree to let L live after going to all the trouble of getting him to appear on the TV? The real Kira wants him dead. So it doesn't make sense." Light argued.

"Then maybe there's some other connection between the real one and this new guy. They could have already met and decided to use the word shinigami as a way to confuse us." Aizawa offered.

"No. I'd say that's unlikely. It's as Light says. If the two Kiras were connected, I don't think the impostor would be so willing to give up on her plan to kill me. All of this suggests to me that the copy cat has her own agenda, and she is acting independently of the first. I believe her actual motivation is to meet the original." Ryuzaki countered.

"I think you're right. Wait. She?" Light asked.

"The actions of the Second Kira leads me to believe that this Kira is female, not male. I'm too lazy to explain why. But anyways, she's acting out of the interest in Kira. Maybe she has a personal connection, once again, I explained this before, I'm not going to do it again. The word shinigami could very well be some reference to their killing power. Saying "We can confirm our identities by showing our shinigami to each other" probably means that they confirm their identities by somehow demonstrating their ability to kill." Silena explained.

"Yes, that's it. Based on their messages, we can assume that the word shinigami must hold some other meaning that only the real Kira and the second Kira are aware of. Now we just need to convince this copycat to tell us what that is." Ryuzaki nodded.

"So will you respond and force him to be more specific? We have to be careful how we handle this. We can't make it too obvious that we're asking, otherwise he'll realize we're not Kira." Light questioned.

"No. From now on, it's best that we leave it up to the two Kiras." Ryuzaki answered.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aizawa inquired.

"I imagine that the second Kira is probably quite satisfied with the current situation, now that she's received televised response. She sent a message to get Kira's attention, and as far as she knows she now has there's that word she used - one that only two of them would understand - we'll arrange to have this reply broadcast today on Sakura 6 o'clock news. Naturally this will be of interest to Kira. And he'll be following this exchange between the copy cat and the one we had invented. Now if I were Kira himself, my priority would be to prevent this impostor from coming into contact with the police. This is good for us, because it means that the real Kira may feel pressured to respond this time." Silena clarified.

"OK, but let's say that he doesn't respond. Then what will we do?" Aizawa continued.

"Yes. I've been thinking about what the second Kira might do if she gets no response. For one, she might reveal more information that she knows Kira wants to keep secret to pressure him into a meeting. Of course that would make Kira nervous. It could be interesting. And what would be more interesting is if Kira sends a message of his own to prevent this from happening. Ideally, this could provide us with the physical evidence we'll need to build a case against him. In the meantime, let's gather all the information we can on this copy cat." L replied.

"Oh, that's good. Yes. Beautiful. Just like that. Perfect. Now I'm telling ya these are gonna knock 'em dead! You look like a little angel, Misa." The cameraman complimented as the girl changed poses.

"Ah, I'm so tired. That shoot went on forever. Modeling takes a lot of energy." Misa collapsed against her bed.

"Hey, Rem." The girl asked.

"Huh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Each shinigami has to have one death note of their own. For shinigami to give a notebook to a human, he needs to have two. Ryuk could give a death note to Kira, because he somehow found a way to sneak an extra one past the shinigami king?"

"Right."

"What about you?"

"The shinigami king isn't someone who's easily fooled. It doesn't happen often."

"Oh, then how did I get mine?"

"Let's just say, it has a lot to do with the fact that I am one of the few in the shinigami realm who knows how to kill another of my kind. That's how I ended up with two."

"Ah, I think I get it. You killed a shinigami and then you gave his notebook to me, right?"

"It's not like that. I wasn't the one who killed him. I just happened to be around when he died. It was coincidence, really."

"So, how do you kill a shinigami? I have to know. Well?"

"Never repeat this to anyone. I learned the only way to kill a shinigami is to make them fall in love with a human."

"What a beautiful way to kill!"

"There once was a shinigami named Gelus, who spent all of his time watching over a certain human girl. Gelus wanted nothing more than to look at her as she went about her daily life."

 _"It's today, isn't it? Her last day alive."_

 _"She looks so full of life. I wonder why today? It's...it's just not fair."_

"I also wanted to find out how she was going to die, so I stayed and watched with him. It was nighttime and she was walking alone. No one else was around. And then it happened. A man suddenly appeared and blocked her path. He was clearly infatuated with the girl."

 _"I love you more than anyone else in the world. I was always watching you. I wanna protect you forever."_

"She'd never seen the man before, and of course, turned him down."

 _"..If..I..can't..have...you... how can I go?"_

 _"Wait. Stop it! What are you doing?"_

"Without even thinking, Gelus did something that we shinigami must never do."

 _"Aghhh." The man collapsed. He was dead._

"Gelus used his death note to kill the man instantly, and therefore saved the girl's life. It was the wrong thing to do. Shinigami exist only to shorten and take human lives. We aren't permitted to undo that which has been fated. At that moment Gelus became something which was neither sand nor rust, and disappeared forever. He died. The only reminder of his existence was his death note left behind. The rest of his life span was added to hers. So not only had he saved her life, he'd accidentally extended it well beyond its natural end."

"So if he'd never fallen in love with this girl, he'd probably still be alive today, wouldn't he?"

"That's right."

"Hmmm. I had no idea. All this time I thought it was luck. But it was a shinigami who saved my life that day."

"Yes. Gelus loved you enough to die for you. So that death note is now yours to keep."

"Hm. I see. For shinigami to die, they have to love a human enough that they prevent their death from happening. So what about you, Rem? You're not in love with me, are you? Be honest."

"Just forget it. You really think you can kill me that easily?"

"Ooops!You saw through that. Hahaha. I'm so glad. At least now I have something interesting to tell Kira. But I wonder...does he know... how to K-I-L-L a shinigami? I asked him on TV to find a way for us to meet each other, but he hasn't replied to me yet. What's taking him so long? Maybe I should send him another message."

 _This isn't good. I can't allow the second Kira to act on her own for much longer. She's careless._

 _So it's only a matter of time before she slips up, and when she does, the police will be waiting._

 _With her in custody, they could find out about the death note._ Light thought.

"Something to start?" The waiter asked the girl a few booths behind Light.

"A strawberry Sundae, please." Misa ordered.

"Of course. Be right back."

 _What should I do? How could I contact the second Kira without L noticing anything?_

"Here you go. Enjoy."

 _I can't wait to meet Kira._

 _I wonder. What kind of person are you, impostor?_

 _I wonder. What kind of person are you, Kira?_


	15. Confession

"Light, there's another message from the second Kira. It was sent to Sakura TV and we intercepted it.. I'm told it's a video and a journal this time. Anyway, I figured I should tell you." Soichiro reported.

 _A journal? What is that idiot up to now? Why can't she just wait?_ Light glared.

"She wanted this journal shown on TV?" Light asked.

"Yes. This is it." Soichiro nodded.

"Hmm. 2006? These entrees are from last year." Light pointed out.

"Please take a look at the entry she made on the 30th." Ryuzaki instructed.

"Hmm. Confirmed our shinigami at the Tokyo dome. This is probably supposed to mean that she plans to do this on May 30th. If this were aired on TV, her intention would be obvious to anyone who sees it." Light analyzes.

"Hahaha." Ryuk laughed.

 _Besides, she can't see my shinigami unless she touches my death does she plan to do that? Huh?_ Light thought.

"Hey, Rem?" Misa asked.

"Hm?" The shinigami looked up.

"I forget. Why can't I see my own life span even though I have shinigami eyes? Do you think you could tell me again?"

"Humans with shinigami eyes only need to know the life span of their victims. And just as we can see the life span of others of our kind, humans who possess the death note can not see each other's life span even with the eyes."

 _May 22nd. "My friend and I showed off our notebooks in Aoyama." If by notebook she's referring to our death notes, that's something that could only be understood by me. And as for the police, they'll be distracted by the May 30th entry. "We confirmed our shinigami at the baseball game at the Tokyo dome." It must've been intended for them. I'm almost positive that the real message from this diary is the one regarding Aoyama. But if that's the case..._ Light wondered.

"What do you think? Is it real?" Ryuzaki questioned him.

 _I have to be careful not to say too much. Better to wait and hear his opinion first._ Light thought. "At this point and time, all I can say for sure is she must be stupid."

"Yeah. I agree. I mean it's completely obvious she wants to meet Kira at the home game." Matsuda supported.

"No!" Silena threw a knife at the wall by the rest of the team. "She is not as stupid as we think. If she was that stupid, we would have caught her by now. She is playing the dumb angle as a distraction. She wants to meet Kira in another place. The game is just a damn distraction. Can't you idiots see that?"

"That is possible." Ryuzaki pressed his thumb to his lip.

"Doesn't she understand what would happen if we aired this message? It will create the media panic and the game would have to be cancelled." Soichiro said, almost oblivious to Silena's comment.

"I'm not even sure how to deal with this whole situation any more. If we make the diary public, then we are forced to make some kind of televised announcements canceling the game on the 30th. But if we don't broadcast it, we can't be sure the second Kira won't do anything." Ryuzaki thought out loud.

"Won't canceling the game make her angry? There's no telling what she'll do." Light spoke.

"Frankly, that's not a big concern. From what we witnessed, it's safe to say the second Kira admires the real one. She gave his word to the Kira we invented that she'd refrain from killing aimlessly. I'm inclined to believe that. I say we make it public and we air an announcement canceling the game. At the same time we'll announce that on May 30th we're going to set checkpoints on all roads leading to the Tokyo dome. And finally we'll send a response from our invented Kira - something like "I understand and I agreed to meet you there"." Silena decided.

"Silena. You don't honestlyexpect him to go there if we set up checkpoints around the dome, do you?" Soichiro asked.

"I don't think that Kira will even consider it, but it's possible the other one might. It all depends on how desperate she really is. However, assuming she's not actually the fangirl we think she is, there could be another message hidden in this diary; one that is not so obvious. If there is a message here written in some code that only people who have this Shinigami power can understand, there'll be no way for me to decipher it. Still, it would only make sense for us to look into all the places that are mentioned in the journal. 22nd she's meeting a friend in Aoyama, 24th meeting another friend in Shibuya. We have to be prepared for the possibility that all of our efforts would be fruitless. Let's keep an eye out for people with notebooks in Aoyama, and people in clothing stores in Shibuya." Silena finished.

 _It's as I thought. If this phony Kira slips up and gets apprehended, at the very least I have to obtain her notebook. And in the worst case, I may end up having to kill everyone there._ Light decided.

"All we can do is place more surveillance cameras in Aoyama and Shibuya, in the hopes that we might capture something. We should also arrange to have undercover officers on both locations on these days." Ryuzaki ordered.

"I should probably go to Aoyama and Shibuya, since I blend in with the crowd there, you know." Matsuda pretty much was bragging that he was young.

"I would go, except I hate human contact." Silena said.

"I'll go, too." Light piped up.

"But Light..." His father started.

"I'll be alright. Don't worry. Aoyama and Shibuya are places I go anyway. Not to mention, out of all of us, I'll probably look the most natural hanging out with Matsui there. Besides, the second Kira will be there looking for Kira, not for the police." Light assured his father.

"OK. We'll talk more about our trips tomorrow." Light waved goodbye.

"Sound good, Light. See you tomorrow. Careful getting home." Matsuda replied. He turned around to walk the other direction as his phone buzzed. _And never fails. The second I'm out the door my phone starts ringing._ "Yes?"

"It's Ryuzaki. When you two are working together, I want you to keep a closer eye on Light in the entire time. And please keep this between you and me." Ryuzaki instructed.

"And me." Silena yelled from the other room.

"Oh, sure. Yeah, I understand." Matsuda nodded. _I guess he's so prone to investigate Light to the probability that he is Kira, which is zero._

"I'm home." Light announced.

"Hello, dear. You're back quite late today." Sachiko greeted her son.

"Yeah." Light nodded. _I'm supposed to keep the fact I'm helping the Kira investigation a secret._ "Ah, it's because I was hanging out with my girlfriend."

"You were?" His mother asked.

"Ahaha! What? Light, you have a girlfriend now? What's her name?" Sayu ran up to her brother, giggling.

"It's not that surprising. I'm 18 and I'm in university now. Of course I have a girlfriend. You should look for a boyfriend, Sayu." Light said.

"Hm? A boyfriend? What's that supposed to mean?" Sayu questioned.

"Light, aren't you going to have any dinner?" His mother inquired.

"Actually I'm still full from the room service at the hotel." Light lied.

"Ah, I can't believe you just said that to Mom. So what's this about the hotel? Sounds pretty suspicious!" Sayu playfully nudged her brother.

"OK, Ryuk. We need to have a little talk." Light told his shinigami.

"Ah, should have known." Ryuk sighed.

"And I'd appreciate an answer if you could. If two shinigami happen to meet in the human world, are they allowed to speak to each other?"

"Hard to say. As long as I'm attached to a human, I'd say it's against the rules unless I had their permission first. But there's no laws against it, either. So I guess it's possible that another shinigami might talk to me."

"So does that mean that if this fake Kira's shinigami would see you, there's a chance he might mention the fact you're with me and reveal that I'm Kira?"

"They probably wouldn't, but it depends on their personality."

"And if this kind of situation did arise, I can assume that you'll act the way you normally do?"

"Yeah. Even if I see another human with a shinigami, I'm not gonna tell you."

"Well I definitely think you've got the right approach."

"Hm? Thanks."

"Huh? There's no way. Did she really think this far ahead?"

"What is it?"

"Aoyama is a big area. I was searching for possible meeting places when I stumbled across this. On the 22nd, there's a big event going on at a club in Aoyama called the "Note Blue" Aoyama, blue mountain. Note and blue it's a code."

"Well, well, if you ask me, that's pretty elaborate".

"She might be smarter than I thought. Silena was right. Which means I have to be that much more careful from now on. In any case, this "Note Blue" place is definitely worth checking out."

"What's the point in going there, if you don't want her to find out that you're Kira. You really think it's worth the risk?"

"Oh, excuse me, Light? So, what's going on here?" Matsuda scratched the nape of his neck.

"Oh, these are some of my friends from school." Light responded.

"Nice to meet you." Matsuda bowed respectfully.

"This is my cousin, Taro. It's his first time ever in Tokyo and he wants to see Aoyama and Roppongi. So I figured the least we could do is show him a good time. I'm count on you guys! Oh yeah, he also told me he's looking for a girlfriend. So, does anyone wanna volunteer?" Light asked.

"Hey! I never said that!" Matsuda blushed. _I'm impressed, Light. I doubt that anyone would ever suspect that there was a police detective hanging around with the students.._

 _With all of us walking together like this, even if Ryuk is seen, no one would be able to tell which one of us he's following. It's also a good defense against L's surveillance cameras. Not such a bad way to investigate really. I just have to stay relaxed and keep an eye on the entrance of the Note Blue when it opens._ Light thought as he walked through Aoyama.

"Found you! Moon Yagami, is it? You're the only one whose lifespan I can't see. He is Kira! I can't believe it! And never thought it would be this easy to find him. All right Rem. Time to go." Misa's eyes flashed red.

"Ha! You finally found him and now you just want to leave?" Rem asked the girl.

"Well I can't go up to him and say "Hi, Kira! Nice to meet you. I'm the one who sent you the messages" with all these people around. I know his name now, so I can easily find out all about him. After all, it's such a unique name." Misa countered.

"Ooooh, it's written as Moon, but read as Light. Light Yagami. Why, he's so amazing. Look at all the stuff! He won the national tennis championship when he was in the 2nd and 3rd year of his junior high, He gave an address as freshmen representative at this year's entrance ceremony at To-oh University. I can't find a picture of him, but there wouldn't be anyone else whose name is Light Yagami. Who would've ever thought that Kira would be so young and handsome. Everything about him is better than I imagined. I can't believe how easy it was to purchase this information. The world sure is a scary place. I even know his home address now." Misa gushed.

"So we were there both days. In Aoyama on the 22nd and Shibuya on the 24th. And we observed nothing of significance on neither location. That leaves us with only the Dome on the 30th." Aizawa reported.

 _I didn't notice anyone who looked suspicious at the Note Blue. Was she serious about the Dome?_ Light analyzed.

"Silena, apparently Sakura TV has just received another message from the 2nd Kira. It was postmarked on the 23rd." Watari announced.

"I'm happy to say that I have found Kira to all the people of television station and the police department. I'd like to thank you very much." The tape stated.

 _Hm? I-impossible! Where in Aoyama? Her shinigami. It must have seen Ryuk and picked me out of the crowd. No! There's no way she could've known who Ryuk was attached to. I checked repeatedly that no one was following me_. Light yelled in his mind.

 _If this is true, the only possible event that corresponds with this tape he mailed on the 23rd is the entry regarding Aoyama on the 22nd.. The only ones from the task force who went to Aoyama are Matsuda and Light Yagami. Is Light really Kira after all?_ Silena questioned herself.

"Still there's no proof even it happened in Aoyama." Ryuzaki pointed out.

"This is a disaster if he found him." Aizawa sighed.

"Yeah. And most likely it means that the two Kiras are now cooperating with each other." Soichiro agreed.

"At this point I don't think we should jump to any second Kira is only saying that she found him, nothing more. She may not have made contact yet." Silena reasoned.

"Hmmm." Soichiro nodded.

"Now that it comes to this. We have no choice but to communicate as the police directly with the second Kira." Ryuzaki decided.

"You wanna send a message?" Matsuda questioned.

"Yes. The police need to reach out the copycat and offer him a deal. We need to negotiate with her to see if we can get Kira's real name." L confirmed.

"Hahaha. That's the last thing you wanted to hear, right?" Ryuk cackled.

 _This isn't good. I have no idea how the fake Kira will react to this. But I have no means of stopping the police from sending this message_. Light glared.

"If Kira doesn't yet know your name, it may not be too late if you provide that you're willing to cooperate. Whatever you do, you must not approach Kira out of curiosity. Make no mistake. Kira will kill you if you contact him. You'll be used and disposed of. Consider your own life for a moment. Yours, like every other life, has intrinsic value. Now is your chance to right pass along by sharing what you know about Kira. Only you can help us bring his reign of terror to an end." The message read out.

"Where are you going?" Rem asked as the girl walked outside.

"To introduce myself." Misa replied.

"So this is what you meant." Rem noted when they appeared in front of Light's house.

"Oh, could that be your father?" Sachiko wondered.

"Coming! Welcome ho..." Sayu's voice faltered as she opened the door.

"Hi, Hello and good evening. My name is Misa Amane. I just came by to give Light his important notebook he left at school earlier today." Misa introduced.

"Could you wait here for a second? Liiiiiight!" Sayu yelled at her brother.

 _Notebook? Could it be?_ Light thought.

"I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Misa Amane. I thought you might get worried if you saw the message on TV. I just couldn't take it any more so I brought this notebook." Misa said as Light closed the door behind him.

 _Ahhh. A death note!_ He touched her Death Note, and suddenly he could see the figure floating behind her. _A Shinigami! She is the fake Kira_. "Please. Come in."

"Are you sure it's OK?" She asked as he opened the door for her. "Thanks."

"Mom, she came _all_ this way to return my notebook. Could you make her some tea?" Light requested.

"Sure. I don't see why not." Sachiko nodded.

"Hm? I've already told you about her." Light lied, seeing his mother's confused face. Sayu started giggling after Light spoke these words.

"Have a seat." Light invited.

"Oh, um, thank you." She took a seat at his desk while he sat on his bed.

"How did you find me?" He blurted.

"Huh! I knew it! You never made the Shinigami eye deal. When you have the Shinigami eyes like I do, you can see most people's name and lifespan just by looking at them. However, you can't see the lifespan of any person who possesses the death note." She explained.

"Huh." Light nodded.

"No kidding. I had to admit even I wasn't aware of that little detail." Ryuk sighed.

"Well, now you've managed to find me. But you are careless. What if you have been caught by the police, then they know everything about Kira." Light scolded.

"It's all right. Because the police didn't catch me. And if I will do as you say from now on, they'll never be able to. So we are safe. After all don't you need someone to see L's name? If you want, I could be your eyes. So.." Misa started.

"Yeah? So what?" Light questioned.

"Would you please make me your girlfriend?" Misa begged.

"Huh? Girlfriend?" Light looked dumbfounded.

"Yes."

"Hahaha." Ryuk cackled.

 _If she finds out I'm manipulating her and gets hurt, she'll probably kill me. But still..._ "Impossible. The date you and I were in Aoyama, there were three times the usual number of surveillance cameras around. Anyone who's in Aoyama on the 22nd would definitely be caught on camera. That includes me. If you and I were seen together, it wouldn't look very good. In fact even being here together right now is a problem. I wish you understand that." Light reasoned.

"But look. These are pictures of me when I went to Aoyama that day." Misa help up photos of girl with short black hair. The disguise was completely unrecognizable.

"Well I'm sure no one would recognize her from this." Ryuk confirmed.

"And what about your fingerprints? All those tapes you sent to the TV station, they all had the same fingerprints on them."

"Yep, but those aren't my fingerprints. It's not like I do these things without thinking about them first. Up until recently I lived in the Kansai region. And I had this friend who was into the occult. I suggested that we distribute this fake poltergeist video I had made to bunch of different TV shows. Sort of, it was a prank., and she agreed to help me with it. I had her take care of all of the dubbing so my fingerprints wouldn't be on the tapes. Then I took them from her, added the picture and recorded the message with that voice effect."

"Then the friend you made the tapes with, where is she now?"

"Why are you doing this to me? If you want me to kill her, just say so."

"Hmmm."

"If you really still can't trust me, then here, I'll even let you hold onto my death note. But, you just be holding it. So I'd still be the right of owner of it and that means I get to keep my shinigami eyes. Isn't that right, Rem?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Now there's no way I could've possibly killed you And if I become a burden to you, then you can just kill me, OK?"

 _Why would she go this far?_ "But you might have removed several pages from your death note.

You could've be hiding them somewhere for all I know."

"Why are you so suspicious of me? I already told you. I don't care even if all you do was to use me. Believe me."

"How can you say that?"

"Exactly one year ago, my parents were killed in a robbery. I was also home at the time, it happened right in front of me. I wanted that man to pay for what he did. But the trial dragged on forever. Opinion started disservice that he was being falsely it happened. Kira punished him for what he did to my parents. And that's why Kira means everything. Kira means everything to me. All I...all I wanted was a chance to meet you one day so I could thank you for what you did."

 _So all these were irrational moves. They were just to means for her to meet Kira. Still she got around the surveillance cameras with ease. And managed not to leave her fingerprints on the evidence. She is not as stupid as I thought. And she has promised to obey me from now on._ "I understand. I can't be your boyfriend, but I can act like it. The length you went to meet me to be of help to me,those eyes _of_ yours that you sacrificed half your life to get, would become my weapon."

"Thank you so much. I'll try my hardest to make you love me. I promise."

 _Hahaha._


	16. Friend

"I understand. I can't be your boyfriend, but I can act like it." Light smirked.

"Thank you so much. I try my hardest to make you love me. I promise." Misa nodded.

 _I'll arrange for her to meet L and K, she'll tell me their names, and then I'll eliminate L, K and the entire task force. And when that's done, I'll kill her, too. After all, she's the only person who knows Kira's true identity. And the only one I can't let her live much longer._ Light schemed.

"So, you'll just pretend? All right. I guess it's a good start. Well now that we've talked about that, could you show me your Shinigami? I really wanna see him."

 _I need her to trust me, I guess I have to._ "Yeah, sure. Could you please turn around?" Light asked.

"All right." The blonde girl turned around as Light touched her with a piece of the Death Note.

"You can turn back, now."

"OK."

"Hey, there. How's it going?" Ryuk greeted.

"Oh, look at that! You are a completely different type of Shinigami than Rem, aren't you? I already know your name. It's Ryuk, right? Nice to meet you."

"Yeah. Same here." The shinigami nodded.

"Oh, and by the way, Light, darling, do you know how to kill a Shinigami?" Misa asked.

"Did you just call me "darling"?"

"Fine. Then do you mind if I call you "knight" instead? 'Cause you are like my knight in shining armor, you know."

"Let's just stick with Light."

"So were you two actually planning to check all of the footage we got from Aoyama on the 22nd by yourselves?" Aizawa questioned the two detectives.

"That's right. We think it's very likely that Kira and the second Kira made contact each other there on that day. So we wanted to check all these tapes personally. Also, Mr. Yagami?" Silena confirmed.

"Oh, yes." Soichiro turned to the girl.

"Please ask Mr. Mogi to start following Light so we can keep tabs on what he's doing." Silena requested.

"You want him followed?" Soichiro inquired.

"It's only a slim chance, but if Light is Kira, then there's still the possibility that the second might try to contact him somehow." Silena justified.

"Very well." Soichiro nodded.

"I'm starting to wonder if Silena and Ryuzaki are even human. They never sleep." Aizawa whispered.

"I saw them sleeping in that exact same position the other day." Matsuda muttered back.

"Huh."

"No. I'm serious."

"So if a Shinigami has feelings for a human and kill someone else in order to extend the human's life beyond its natural end, the Shinigami will die?" Light asked.

"That's right." Misa nodded.

"Hahaha. Good luck trying to find the Shinigami who'd volunteer to do that." Ryuk laughed.

"That's true. I can't see you ever doing that. By the way, where did you send all those tapes from, the ones that went to the TV stations?" Light said.

"Let's see. Osaka the first time, then Tokyo, this other one from Nagano. I took the bullet train every time so that way the police couldn't pinpoint my location." Misa counted the places off.

"All right. One more thing. Do you still have the video tapes and envelopes with your friend's fingerprints on?" Light questioned.

"Uh, yeah." Misa nodded.

"Well you'll have to dispose everything that was used to create those videotapes, understand? But before you do, I need you to send one last video and make sure it's from a place you haven't used yet. It should say, "I've decided to stop searching for Kira. And I'd like to thank the police department for all of its advice. However, I still plan to help Kira in his mission. And I hope that in time he'll come to see me as an ally. I will start by punishing criminals that Kira has yet to judge. Also, I'll share my power with others who I feel worthy and I will encourage them to do the same. Together we'll make this world a better place." Light instructed.

"Share my power?"

"We'll just add that part to throw off their investigation. They suspect that there are already two people with this power, so wouldn't be a stretch to assume there could be others. And if they believe the numbers are growing, then they'll start to you do this?"

"No need to ask. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I don't care what it is, 'cause I do anything for you."

"There's one more thing which is very important."

"What's that?"

"If you get arrested by the police, or if you're ever brought in for questioning, you can never mention anything about us or the death note. As long as they don't get a hold of that notebook, there's no proof you did anything. Can you promise to say nothing?"

"I promise. So this must mean that we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now, aren't we?"

"Well, sure, I guess."

"Then I'd like to add one condition. You have to go on a date with me at least once a week."

 _Ahhh. Unbelievable! She still doesn't get it._ "We can't."

"But why?"

"It looks like I'm gonna have to spell this out for you. L and K already suspect that I'm Kira. Do you see what I'm saying here?"

"No way! L and K is amazing! I mean, everyone's been saying that they're getting nowhere with the investigation and that they are completely stupid and stuff. But they already know that much?"

"Anyway, it all worked out well for me. Because thanks to that, I've also been able to get close to L and K."

"Huh? You and the two detectives are in contact with each other? Then that's even more amazing! This is getting so exciting!"

"Even though they suspect I'm Kira, they figure their safe as long as I don't know their real names. They came right out and told me who they were just to get to me. However, their only focusing on me because they has no other suspects. And they have no evidence. At this moment, I'm working with them on the case, and little by little I'm winning their trust." (A/N You think it's that easy to win their trust? It took L 4 years to learn K's initials, and another 5 to learn her name. You actually think they trust you? No. K has some serious trust issues.)

"Great! So all you have to do is take me to where L and K is and I can see their real names for you."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Listen, it was difficult enough for me to get close to them. Besides, if all of a sudden someone I just met gets too close and at the same time the police detect changes in Kira or the second Kira's behavior, that person would be suspected of being the second Kira. And of course that'll put me under even greater suspicion. We can't allow them to make that connection, which means we can't appear to be too close to each other. Do you understand what I was saying?"

"Well, I think I understand. So is that why we can't go on dates? We can't be seen in public because it will look too suspicious?"

"Look. We need to take the time now to come up with a good plan. Some way that you can see L and K without letting them know you exist."

"Yeah."

"I can't eliminate L and K without you. So I'll call you and see you as often as this situation allows."

"You will?"

"But, to make sure that our meetings don't stand out, I have to make sure that I'm seen with other girls, OK?"

"Huh? What do you mean? You're seriously gonna date other girls?"

"Yeah. More or less."

"I don't want you to!"

"Huh?"

"If I see you with another girl, I'll kill her."

"Scary." Ryuk commented.

"Look, sweetie."

 _Sweetie? Hehe._ Ryuk laughed.

"This is not a game. Both of us are risking our lives to change the world, aren't we?"

"I know that, but I love you more than the world, Light."

"It sounds like you are confused. Maybe it feels that way to you, but you are here because you admire Kira. You don't even know me. We just met."

"Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

"No."

"I admit that everything you said was true. I did want to meet Kira out of gratitude and respect, not love. But from the moment I first saw you, I knew."

 _What is wrong with this girl?_

"Popular, as always." Ryuk commented.

"Well, you can show me your love by obeying me. I thought you said it was OK if I used you. A minute ago, you swore you'd do anything I asked."

"Yeah, I did, but I never said you could date other girls. I mean those are two totally different things!"

"I think you're forgetting I have both notebooks. If you don't obey me, I can easily kill you."

"I would never allow that, Light Yagami. If you do anything that results in this girl's death, the first thing I'll do is write your name in my death note. I will kill you. I'm sure you realize that I can see her lifespan. If she happens to die before that time, I'll know it was you who killed her." Rem warned.

"But if you were to use your death note to save her, wouldn't that mean you'd die, too?" Light pointed out.

"That's right. If you tried to save me, you would die, too." Misa said.

"Yes, you are correct. But I'm quite willing to accept that outcome." Rem confirmed.

 _Hm. Is this Shinigami serious? This is crazy. And this means from now on..._

"Light?" Sachiko called her son.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"It's almost 11:30, you know. You really shouldn't have a girl here this late."

"Oh, of course. I guess we lost track of time."

"Sorry Mrs. Yagami. I'm really sorry for coming over so late at night. See you later, Light."

"Yeah."

"Light, you should walk her to the station."

 _I can't risk being seen with her in public_.

"Oh, no, I'm alright, thanks. Well, good night!"

"Isn't she cute?" Sachiko commented.

"Yeah, I know. When she got here I wasn't so sure, but you're right. She's cute, Mom. I like her." Sayu agreed.

 _That Shinigami is going to kill me, if I kill that girl? Which means I'm going to have her hang around me until she dies? Not only that, it also mean that I'll be forced to protect her from being caught by the police for the rest of her life._ Light thought.

"Thanks to you, Rem. Light really is going to be my knight in shining armor."

"I suppose."

"But you can't really kill him, OK?"

"For Shinigami to die, they have to use their death note to save the life of a human. A human who they are falling in love with. Ideally, I can kill Rem first. Someone I was controlling would attack Misa forcing Rem to save her, but...No. It would never work. If Misa's life was put in danger, Rem would immediately suspect me and I'd be the one who gets killed. Huh, as things stand, she's a bigger nuisance than L and K are. Ah, sh-she's famous? Oh, I don't even wanna imagine what would happen if someone found out about us. Damn it! She is nothing but trouble. What should I do? No, more importantly, I need to think of how I can use Misa's eyes to help me kill L and K. If I can eliminate them..."

"Good morning, Light!" Sayu said.

"Good morning." Sachiko greeted.

"Mom, Sayu, could you do me a big favor and keep Misa a secret from Dad for now?" Light asked.

"All right." Sachiko agreed.

"Actually, it's not just Dad. You can't tell anyone else about her, either. You see, Misa's an up and coming model so people can't know about us." Light explained.

"What? Is she really? I thought she was pretty, but I had no idea! That's pretty impressive even for you, Light. I'll keep it a secret for 50 bucks!" Sayu teased.

"Oh, stop it." Sachiko sighed.

"Ah, on page number 246..." The professor instructed.

 _Misa's final message should arrive today. Although before it ever gets to the TV station, it will be rerouted to the task force headquarters. I have to go down there at some points so I can see L's reaction firsthand._

"Light..Light." Takada said.

"Hm?" Light snapped out of his thoughts.

"I thought you and I were seeing each other. That is _,_ we're more than just friends, aren't we?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah. We are." Light confirmed.

"Exactly. And that's the reason why I'm sitting next to you in class. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Sure."

"But you don't look like you're enjoying being with me. I mean, you haven't even looked at me once."

"That's not true at all. I guess I was just thinking about how everyone's gonna be talking about us now to think that I'm actually going out with Miss Takada, the famous Miss Todai. I mean, you are the most beautiful woman in this school."

"Haha." Ryuk laughed.

"Why do you even care about stuff like that. Besides, I hate being called Miss Todai or whatever. It's embarrassing!"

"Yeah, you're right." _What do you know? She actually likes all the attention._ " We should forget about all that stuff and just go at our own pace."

"Yeah."

"Hello." Light greeted.

"Oh, come in. Your timing couldn't be better, actually. We just received a new video message from the second Kira." Ryuzaki waved him in.

"Huh? Wow, that didn't take long."

"Yes. I believe it's the last one. Well, take a look at this."

"I decided to stop searching for Kira. And I'd like to thank the police department for their advice. However, I still plan to help Kira in his mission. And I hope that, in time, he'll come to see me as an ally. I will start by punishing criminals that Kira has yet to judge. Also I will share my power with others who I feel are worthy, and I will encourage them to do the same. Together, we'll make this world a better place."

"After watching this, I can only think that Kira and the second Kira have managed to make contact." Silena stated bluntly as Ryuzaki nodded in agreement.

"What makes you say that?" Light asked.

"Oh, Come on. Didn't you sense it? I was sure you'd come to the same conclusion I did after watching this once through. First consider how determined she was to meet Kira, so why the sudden change of heart? Now she wants to punish criminals that Kira hasn't? All she wants out of all this was Kira to see her as an alley? The biggest question, why didn't she do this to begin with? I'm guessing it's because she never thought that beforehand. She probably met Kira and was told which criminals she'd be allowed to judge. I suspect the purpose of this message is to hide the fact that they met." Silena explained.

"I see. What I found really strange is that unlike Kira, it would be so careless."

"That's true. But I would believe that Kira made a mistake this time. Or this is way letting us know they made contact. It would be an effective means of provoking us. The idea of their union is very threatening. However, this is also one less reason to suspect that Light is Kira." Silena lied flawlessly. _By the defensive stance that he took when I said the two Kiras have meet, means he didn't want us to know about the union. 94% now._

"Silena, what do you mean by that?" Soichiro asked.

"If Light is Kira, I don't think this is the message he would have had the second Kira send us.

It doesn't fit. He would made the second Kira go through with this plan to have me appear on TV, then deny they had ever made contact, letting the second Kira shoulder the blame for my death. He'd make her say something like... "Although I agree not to go through with this, I have come to realize that it was not Kira's true intention that I stop. I'm positive that the real Kira would want L to die. There's no way he'd make me stop."" Ryuzaki took the question. "And maybe this time she would want K dead too."

"Ryuzaki."

"Yes, Light?"

"I think you are mistaken. I would never do that if I were Kira."

"Why not?"

"Well, if you are L and I'm Kira, then I'd already know your personality pretty well. L and K would never agree to appear on TV no matter what threat they were facing. And they wouldn't allow someone else to die in their place. The L and K I know would find some way to escape the situation."

"So, you figured it out."

"Look, Light. You've got to stop that. I don't like hearing you say, "If I were Kira," even hypothetically."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dad. I just wanted to let Ryuzaki know exactly what I thought of his plan.

I posed that scenario because I wanna help solve this case, It's the only chance I have to clear my name. Besides, the only reason I feel comfortable saying things like that is because I'm not really Kira."

 _Lies. Lies. And more lies. It shows in his eyes. Bitch is lying so damn much. 95%._ Silena rolled her eyes.

"That's a good point. You are not Kira. That is, it will be a problem if you were Kira. Because...I feel that besides Silena, you are the first friend that I've ever had." Ryuzaki sighed.

 _Everyone is lying today. I know for a fact that Ryu doesn't think Light as a friend._ Silena thought

"Wow!" Ryuk laughed.

"Y-yeah. I know what you mean. The two of us have a lot in common." Light nodded.

"Thank you." Ryuzaki lied.

"And I have missed having you around at school. We should play tennis again, soon."

"Yes, we should."

"A friend! He is your friend? That's a good thing, isn't it, Light?" Ryuk asked.

"That damn Silena had no problem figuring out Kira and the second Kira had made contact each other. I've got to eliminate her right away." Light growled.

"I see."

"The way things are progressing, I can't afford to be seen with Misa."

"Light!" The girl went all yandere on him and tackled him to the ground. "Sorry, but I just couldn't wait for two weeks like you said. Actually I was just on my way to your house and I spotted you."

 _is the first time in my life that I've been provoked to hit a woman_. Light glared.

"I..I just wanted to see you so badly."

"Well, you might as well come over."

"Yay!"

"Great to see you, Misa! I saw you in a whole bunch of magazines!" Sayu exclaimed.

"Please, come on in." Sachiko waved her in.

"Hum, sorry to drop by like this." Misa apologized.

"Could you make her some tea, Mom?"

"Rem."

"Huh?"

"You are Misa's ally, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'd seen her many times from the Shinigami realm and then certain events made me develop feelings for her."

"Feelings! But you're Shinigami! Hahah." Ryuk scoffed.

"You don't like what I said before about how I kill you if you even attempted to kill Misa."

"So, if Misa is happy, does that mean you'll be happy as well?"

"I suppose you could say that. I definitely don't want her to suffer."

"As you know, Misa loves me."

"Oh, Light."

"Misa."

"Yes."

"If I was happy, would that make you happy, too?"

"Yes."

"Hahaha."

"Then, could you ask Rem to kill L and K?" (A/N it takes a lot more to kill me you little prick)

"Huh?" Ryuk questioned.

"Rem said your happiness was important. But what do you think would happen if L and K caught one of us? It means our happiness would be ruined."

"Hahaha. It's true that the Shinigami are forbidden to give other person's name to anyone. But then again, there's no rule that prevents Rem from killing anyone."

"That's right. And if you agreed to kill L and K, it would only make me love Misa that much more. Plus I'd be grateful to you. Most importantly, the two of us will be happy together."

"Rem, I want Light to love me. And I know we could be happy together. It's all I have ever wanted."

 _That's a shame._

"Fine. As you wish, Light Yagami, but I do not like you. This will not kill me even if it ends up lengthening your life. I will kill L and K for you. It really makes no difference. They're just humans to me."

"Hooray! Oh, Rem! Thank you so much! I knew I can count on you."

 _L and K will die... That's all it took._


	17. Wager

"So when should I kill them? If you take me to where they are, I can kill them immediately." Rem asked.

"The sooner, the better. Maybe tomorrow. I should think this through before we do anything. I need tonight to decide how I'm going to kill L and K. I'll give you my answer tomorrow." Light instructed.

"Very well." Rem nodded.

"Also, no matter what, you can't kill them until I give the order. No matter what, understood?" Light ordered.

"All right. I promise you that, at least where L and K are concerned." Rem agreed.

"Misa, I need you to give me your cell phone number." Light requested.

"About time! What took you so long? Give me yours, too, OK?"

"No, Misa. I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why not!? I'm your girlfriend. I should have your number!"

"I already told you I'm under surveillance by the police. Keep in mind it's not difficult for them to bug even cellphones these days."

"Ohhh.. ok then what about this? I'll just give you one of my phones. I ended up with three of them. 'Cause I use them for different things."

"Yeah, good idea. If we use yours, I think we'll be safe."

"That's great! I can hear your voice every day and text you, too."

"No. I'll keep this one turned off. I'll be the only one making the calls and only when it's absolutely necessary."

"What? No way. Then when are you gonna call me?"

"Probably tomorrow, that would most likely be the day we execute L and K, but I call you either way."

"What? Tomorrow? It doesn't sound like a very romantic call, but I suppose we can always talk about us afterwards."

"Well, I think you should probably go home now, Misa."

"Huh? But why? It's only 7 o'clock. The time for lovers is just beginning, you know. We can go for a romantic dinner, then maybe moonlight stroll in the park and after that the main event..."

"Misa..." Light crashed his lips against hers.

"Hahaha, wow!" Ryuk laughed.

"Listen. You have to go home now."

"OK."

"Also when you're talking to Rem outside, be careful that no one's around to listen. Just whisper. That's what I always do with Ryuk."

"OK. Bye bye. Have a good night."

"Bye bye, Misa. Come again real soon!" Sayu waved.

"Hahaha. That kiss came out of nowhere."

"Sure. It's very important that Misa stays infatuated with me."

"Ah."

"More importantly I need to decide if L and K should die tomorrow. Since they haven't gone public yet, if Ryuga and Natalie die, the other task force members will be suspicious of me. So I have to make sure I'm prepared."

"I see. I thought perhaps you were hesitating, because he said he thinks of you as a friend."

"Haha, a friend? I just gave him what he wanted. From the start, I've said, if it's my friendship he wants, I give it to him as a way to win his trust. Ryuga and Light Yagami appear to be friends, but L is Kira's enemy."

 _That's right. Ryuga revealed that he is L. Therefore, he must die. If I have him die in an accident, chances are the less people will suspect I'm Kira. And even if they do, there'll be no proof. I can only speculate what'll happen after he dies. Tomorrow will be L and K's or at least Ryuga and Natalie's last day alive._

"Hair...snack crumbs...hair..." Ryuzaki picked up little bags with evidence.

"Mr. Yagami, if either Ryu or myself die within the next few days, your son is Kira." Silena sat next to her friend, also reviewing the evidence. "Hm, another hair..."

"Huh?" Aizawa looked up.

"What did you just say, Silena?" Soichiro demanded.

"Exactly. What are you talking about anyway?" Matsuda agreed.

"If anything happens to me or Ryu, we've asked Watari to make himself available to you, so I'm counting on the team." Silena explained.

"Silena, you said he was almost cleared and now this? Honestly how much do you suspect my son?" Soichiro glared at the younger girl.

"Hm, The truth is, I don't even know what to think anymore. I've never been in a situation like this. If Kira and the second Kira are working together right now, things are not looking good for me or Ryu. Given that, I may not be thinking as clearly as I normally do. So I could be wrong. Maybe I still consider him a suspect only because we don't have anyone else. But still...if we do happen to be killed soon, please assume that your son is Kira." Silena sighed. _We have no choice but to make a sneak attack. This is all I wager now._

"I wouldn't say that. I just know how to get by. That's all." Light said spotting Ryuzaki.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Takada asked.

"Hah. Hey, Light. How's it going?" Ryuzaki waved at him.

"Kiyomi, could we continue this later? I need a moment alone with him." Light requested.

"Ah, OK." The girl walked away.

"I hope she's not upset." Ryuzaki stated.

"Never mind that. Is it OK to be here? Didn't you say you were afraid to appear in public?" Light asked.

"Yeah, I did. But then I realized that as long as you are not Kira, I should be safe. The fact is, you are the only one on the outside who knows me as L and Silena as K. In the unlikely event that either she or I die in the next few days, we've instructed your father and everyone in the headquarters to assume that you are Kira." Ryuzaki said.

 _Damn him!_ Light seethed.

"Besides, you told me yourself that you missed having me around at school, so I figured why not come back for a little change of pace. As long as it doesn't kill me, college is a lot of fun." Ryuzaki shrugged.

"I have to admit, without you around, intelligent conversation is hard to come by." Light admitted.

"Hm, I see. Luckily, Kiyomi is there to fill the void?" Ryuzaki asked slyly.

"Well, something like that." Light laughed.

"Hahaha." Ryuk cackled.

 _Now I don't know. Is it still OK to kill them today? No. As soon as I make the decision to kill them, suddenly he appears almost as if to distract me from my goal. I guess he's trying to guarantee their safety. And the way things are, I'm playing right into their hands. Just one question: where is Silena?_ Light questioned.

"Hey, do you wanna have some cake with me in the cafeteria?" Ryuzaki suggested.

"Sure. I have a break now, anyway." Light nodded.

"Hm, that's perfect. I'm kind of craving shortcake right now." Ryuzaki said, standing up.

"Well, let's hope they have it." Light turned around to start walking before he was tackled in a hug.

"Light! There you are! I had a photo shoot near by so I thought I'd come by to see you." Misa squealed.

 _Misa, you idiot!_ Light thought.

"Oh, this must be a friend of yours. He looks so different. Unique." Misa smiled.

 _Wait...I've won! Misa would be able to see Ryuga's real name!_ Light realized.

"Hi, there. I'm Light's girlfriend, Misa Amane. Nice to meet you." The blonde girl introduced herself.

"I'm Hideki Ryuga." Ryuzaki lied.

"Huh? Hideki Ryu...?" Misa trailed off.

"Yeah. He has exact the same first and last name as the famous idol. Pretty bizarre, huh?" Light stepped in front of L.

 _But it's different than the name I'm seeing._ Misa thought.

 _Ryuga. Deciding to come here today was a mistake. Now I just need to get Misa to see Natalie._ Light mentally smirked.

 _Why the hell is he laughing?_ Light thought as L chuckled softly. _Could it mean he noticed something? Makes no sense. If he somehow guessed that she is the second Kira, there's no way he'd be laughing right now._

"Light, you are a lucky guy." L smiled.

"Huh?" Light asked.

"I have been a huge fan of yours ever since the August issue of Eighteen." Ryuzaki explained.

"What? Really? That's so sweet of you!" Misa beamed.

"Hey, oh my god! Isn't that girl Misamisa?" A student called out.

"Yeah, right. It's her." They all swarmed her.

"Oh, she's so cute!" One gushed.

"Wow, I should have guessed that I'd be spotted with all of these kids around." Misa realized.

"I'm your biggest fan!"

"Keep up the good work!"

"Oh, thank you. Couldn't do without you." Misa smiled.

"What is this?" Light muttered.

"No way, somebody just touched my butt!" Misa exclaimed.

"This is an outrage! Taking advantage of this situation is unforgivable. I'll find whoever is responsible for this." Ryuzaki demanded.

"Haha, oh Ryuga, you're so funny." Misa giggled.

"I wanna touch her, too." Someone yelled.

 _I do want to ask Misa what L's real name is as soon as possible, but all these people are in the way_. Light thought.

"Misa, it's time, or are we planning to be late again?" A red haired woman dragged Misa away from the crowd.

"No, I-I'm sorry, Yoshi." She bowed her head.

"Let's go."

"O-Okay."

 _Perfect. Now that Misa's away from the crowd, I just have to give her a call and ask for L's real name._ Light smirked.

"Bye, Light! I'll see you after I'm done work. I miss you already!" Misa waved.

"Now then, perhaps we should get going." Ryuzaki offered.

"Yeah. Actually, could you go on ahead? I need to go use the restroom." Light excused himself.

"Oh, OK. Then I'll see you there." Ryuzaki nodded.

 _It's over. It's been fun,L... I'm grateful that I was the one to discover your name so I could kill you myself. K, you will be next._ Light dialed the number.

A ringtone echoed through the air before someone picked it up, "Yes? Hello?" Ryuzaki asked.

"What do you mean "Hello"?" Light glared.

"Oh, is that you, Light?" Ryuzaki gasped falsely. "I guess someone must have dropped this phone in all of the commotion earlier on."

 _"No way, somebody just touched my butt!" Misa exclaimed._

 _"This is an outrage! Taking advantage of this situation is unforgivable. I'll find whoever is responsible for this." Ryuzaki demanded._

 _He took it! Bastard!_ Light realized.

"Ah, hello?" Ryuzaki snapped Light out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. That's...that's Misa's cell phone you have. I can give it back to her." Light explained.

"Oh, I see. We're sure that makes sense." Ryuzaki agreed.

 _Ryuga. He probably thinks he is pretty clever right now, but Misa has another phone he doesn't know about. I'll just call that one instead._ Light smiled.

"Oh, understand. It's actually my cell phone. I swear if it's Silena wanting me to buy her sushi on the way home..." said L as another phone rang. "Ahem. Yes. Yes, I see. So it's done, then. I understand." He hung up, then turned to face Light. "I'm not exactly sure how you'll take this, but regarding Misa Amane there's something you should know. We've taken her into custody under suspicion of being the second Kira."

 _How long has he known about Misa? I never thought he would find her this quickly._ Light panicked.

"We gathered physical evidence from the envelopes that were sent by the second Kira. In particular we recovered hairs and fibers from the masking tape used to seal them. They matched what we found in Misa's room. There would be public uproar if it gets out that she's been apprehended as the second Kira, so officially we charged her manager with drug possession, and she's a voluntary witness. But I doubt any of this would get out." L explained.

 _I was careless. The videos! I should have destroyed all the evidence before the police had a chance to go through it. In the end Ryuga knew this best defence was to stay close to me rather than trying to hide. He confronted things head-on. This wager was my..._

 _was my..._

 _was my... No! Not yet! The real battle is just beginning, L_.

"Watari, has she said anything yet?" L asked.

"No. She hasn't spoken a word." Watari replied.

"Get us a visual of her, will you?" K requested.

"Are you sure?" Watari questioned.

"Oui. Et rapidement." K confirmed.

"Silena, vous parlez français" L sighed.

"Je regrette." K said as the screen flickered on and a blonde girl in a straitjacket was strapped to a chair.

"Oh!" The men gasped.

"Huh..." Misa groaned.

"Ryuzaki! What's the meaning of this?" Soichiro gaped.

"I've apprehended her on suspicion of being the second Kira. I'm afraid this is necessary." Silena sighed.

"Chances are Amane is guilty. There seems to be enough evidence to convict it, but all the same..." Soichiro trailed off.

"Yes. There can be no mistake. Now we need a confession out of her. We need to know how she kills, whether she knows Kira, and if so, who he really is. Watari, take the necessary precautions but beyond that, you're free to do whatever has to be done, OK? Just make her speak." Silena spoke into the mic. "Oh. Can you bring up some sushi, and some of Ryu's necessities?"

"Very well." Watari agreed. Ryuzaki gave Silena an appreciative smile.

"Oh, Mr. Yagami." L spoke.

"Huh?" Soichiro looked up.

"Light has now become a prime suspect. And I'm probably gonna bring him in for interrogation as well. Please be prepared for that." L clarified.

"Ryuzaki. Amane is talking." Watari reported.

"Quickly get me her visual and the audio." L dived onto the couch as K kicked off her heels and dropped into the splits.

"Finally after three days of this, huh?" Aizawa sighed.

"I can't take it any more. Kill me." Misa pleaded.

"Huh?"

"Kill me. Please just kill me." She continued.

"I don't know. Maybe this was all too much for a young girl to take." Aizawa shook his head.

"He's right. We've pushed her too far." Matsuda agreed.

"Misa Amane, can you hear me?" L talked into the mic.

"I hear you. Please just kill me now."

"Does this mean you would admit to being the second Kira? Is this the reason you wish to die?"

"No. I don't know anything about the second Kira. I really can't take this any more. I'd rather be dead. Now hurry up and kill me! If you wanted to, you could kill me right now, couldn't you?"

"Misa, do you mean...?" Rem asked.

"Yes. Kill me." Misa responded.

"Do you really mean that, Misa?" Her shinigami said.

"Yes, I do. Oh, I can't take it any more. Kill me." Misa confirmed.

"If I do this, then Light Yagami dies, too. This is all his fault." Rem threatened.

"You can't. No, you can't. Please just kill me." Misa begged.

"Why, Misa? Why do you want to die for him?" Rem questioned.

"Fine. If you won't kill me." She opened her mouth wide.

"Stop her. Watari, don't let her bite her tongue." Ryuzaki yelled into the mic.

"Mmm." Misa struggled against the cloth tied around her mouth.

"Why would she want to bite her tongue?" Matsuda asked.

"Suicide 101: Biting one's tongue results in mass blood loss, killing the person." Silena explained, still in the splits.

"Why are you in the splits?" Matsuda questioned the girl.

"It helps me think, and plus it's comfortable." Silena justified her actions.

"Is it possible that this behavior could be attributed to Kira controlling her actions before death?" Ryuzaki muttered.

"Oh, what's the matter, Rem?" Ryuk looked up.

"Light Yagami." The shinigami faced the boy. "Misa has refused my offer to help her escape. No doubt because she knows it would cause you trouble, since the police would then have proof of her powers. When her suffering became more than she could bear, she started begging me to kill her. All of this because she wants you to love her. I could not possibly let it go on like that. I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was only one way to save her from her suffering."

"Forfeiting the ownership of the Death Note." Light realized.

"Yes. If Misa forfeits ownership of the Death Note, all her memories related to it would disappear, all the murder she committed with it, the fact that you are Kira, all those memories would be gone. Your secret would be safe. Also Misa would no longer be able to see Ryuk or me, either." Rem confirmed.

"Misa, when this is done, you'll forget everything about Shinigami and the Death Note." Rem spoke.

"Mmmm." Misa shook her head vigorously.

"It's OK. The human being who you love is Light Yagami. I promise those feelings will remain. So, Misa, forfeit ownership of the Death Note and leave everything to Light Yagami." Rem proposed.

"Hmm." Misa thought for a moment then nodded.

"And so, Misa is no longer the owner of the Death Note." Rem concluded.

"You did the right thing, Rem. I was beginning to think that was the only way out of the situation. If her memories of the Death Note are gone, then chances are they have to release her eventually." Light smiled.

"Light Yagami, I proposed this to Misa, knowing it was exactly what you wanted and that it would serve your purposes. But I did so on one condition. And that is, if you don't save Misa, I will kill you." Rem threatened.

"Hahaha." Ryuk laughed.

"I understand, and I have a pretty good idea what L and K would do next. I have a plan. This is goodbye, Ryuk." Light said.

"Huh?" Ryuk asked.


	18. Decision

"I hereby relinquish ownership of this Death Note." Light recited.

"Take care of her. You gave your word." Rem flew off.

"Mr. Stalker, hello, mister, where are you right now? Do, do you think we could stop this game?" Misa pleaded.

"Stalker? Where did she get that?" Aizawa asked. "What's with the new attitude all of a sudden?"

Just as I thought. As long as I still have Ryuk's notebook, even though I gave up Rem's, all awareness I have of Rem's still remains. Rem, the only reason I have to go through all this trouble is because you brought another Death Note to the human world. Light thought.

"Is this really what you want, Light?" Ryuk questioned.

"Yeah." Light nodded.

"OK. I never thought that the Death Note I gave you would end up buried and abandoned." Ryuk sighed.

"Listen, Ryuk. For the time being I'm just hiding it, but it stays mine, until the next time you hear me say the following words; get rid of it. When I say that, regardless of the context, assume that I want to relinquish ownership of this Death Note." Light instructed.

"Got it."

"Mr. Stalker, this is illegal. You have to stop. OK, Come on, please." Misa begged.

"She's been acting like this ever since she regained consciousness." Aizawa pointed out.

"Seriously. Does she think she can get out of this just by playing dumb?" Matsuda shook his head.

"OK. How about this? You can at least take off my blindfold, don't you think? It'd be nice to see what you look like." Misa offered.

"Matsuda. Call Mogi for me." Silena ordered.

"Huh? Just a second." Matsuda dialed a number and handed his phone to K. "Here."

"Mr. Mogi. When you apprehended Misa Amane, you made it clear that she was a suspect. Am I correct?" Silena asked.

"Yes. Like you told me, first I blindfolded her and covered her mouth. I...told that we knew she was the second Kira. I made sure that she heard me. She didn't struggle when I put a blindfold and handcuffs on her. It was like she accepted it." Mogi replied.

"What if I give you my autograph, or shake your hand. I know! I can give you a kiss on the cheek, if you want. Oh, come on, I won't run away, I promise." pleaded Misa through the surveillance camera.

"We'd already made so much progress with her, I actually thought she's crack. Why is she suddenly talking about a stalker?" Silena wondered out loud.

"Misa Amane." Ryuzaki spoke through the voice scrambler.

"Huh? What's that, Mr. Stalker? Are you planning to release me?" Misa said hopefully.

"Before you passed out, you barely spoke and even asked me to kill you. And now you're claiming ignorance?" L continued.

"Hm? I don't understand. I mean you are the one who knocked me out and brought me here, remember? Wait. I get it. This is some kind of "Misa Amane interrogation fantasy", right?" Misa questioned stupidly.

"Do you know why I'm detaining you here? You must have some idea." L sighed.

"What do you mean? Because I'm a celebrity, obviously? But you're definitely the first stalker who's ever gone this far, and you are starting to scare me." Misa admitted.

"Hey, Amane, no one's buying this. So cut it out!" Matsuda yelled.

"Oh, this is scary. What's going on? I can't stand it any more. Please let me go. You have to let me go. Ah, I need to go to the bathroom. I have to go to the bathroom again, OK?" Misa screamed.

"It's only been 4 minutes since you last went to the bathroom. I'm afraid you have to hold it." L said.

"Oh, you have to! It's the only time when you untied me and you let me move. Plus you'll be able to watch. Is that what you want, isn't it? You pervert!" Misa accused.

"I'm a...pervert?" L muttered questioningly, and Silena, who was hanging off the edge of the couch, crashed to the ground in a fit of laughter. "Amane, let's get back to the conversation we were having before you lost consciousness. First of all, do you know who Light Yagami is? And if so, why did you approach him?"

"Huh? What do you mean? How could I not know my own boyfriend?" Misa asked.

She was so tight-lipped about it earlier , now she's openly admitting he's a boyfriend? There is something wrong with her demeanor. I just can't place my finger on it... Silena thought.

"Where is this coming from?" Aizawa inquired.

"Good time. It's Light." L read off his screen. "Please turn the video and audio off. Yes. Yes, I understand. We'll be expecting you in the room K2801."

"Are you saying my son's coming here?"

"Ryuzaki. Like I said over the phone, I "could" be Kira." Light announced.

"No, Light! What are you talking about? Why would you even say something like that? Why?" Soichiro yelled.

There's no real proof that Light Yagami is Kira, so why come here to announce that you could be Kira? It's an act. There's no "could be" about it. You are Kira. What do you have to accomplish by this? L and K thought together.

"Look, Dad. If Ryuzaki and Silena are L and K, then it's safe to say that they're the world's best detectives, and right now they seems pretty sure that I'm Kira, we know they've never been wrong before." Light explained.

"What? What are you saying, Light. Stop this!" Soichiro ordered.

"What about that FBI agent, Raye Penber? It was me he was investigating immediately before he died. And I was in Aoyama on May 22nd. Also I'm the first person in the Kanto region that Misa, the alleged second Kira, approached. It's all been me. If I were in L and K's place, even I would have come to the same conclusion. You see, subconsciously I might be Kira. If that were the case, I could be him and not even know it." Light held his hands up.

"No, Light." Soichiro shook his head.

I see. So you are not conscious of it all? L thought.

What's that I smell? I think... it's the smell of bullshit. K rolled her eyes.

"I...I'm not sure of anything any more. I never kill someone, but unconsciously who knows what I'm capable of? Another me could be killing people as I sleep." Light sighed.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." L spoke.

"Huh? Not possible? What do you mean?" Light asked.

"Well, we've never mentioned this to you, but one point we had hidden surveillance cameras installed in your room for 5 days." K admitted.

"Cameras!?" Light exclaimed.

"Yes now shut up. Anyways, every single night you slept normally. Criminals whose names were broadcast were still dying even though you would've had no way of knowing about them. But this didn't prove your innocence to me. All it proved was that if you were Kira, no amount of camera surveillance would reveal the fact." Silena spoke as if she was talking to a five year old, even if Light was only three years younger than herself.

""Wouldn't reveal the fact", huh? Huh, I don't know it. It could be true. I have to admit I've found myself thinking that some criminals deserve to die. If I can think like Kira, then how can I be sure that I'm not actually him?" Light shook his head.

"Hold on, Light. I feel exactly the same way. I found myself thinking before that some people would be better off dead. But still that doesn't mean we're gonna go out and kill people? Isn't that right? Besides, criminals were still being killed even while you had no knowledge of them. I mean the surveillance cameras proved it, didn't they?" Matsuda asked.

"Well, no. Because we were short of investigators then, we only watched him while he was at home. Truth is, we weren't able to watch him every hour of the day. It's possible he could've found some way to kill those criminals while he wasn't at home." Aizawa reasoned.

This was premeditated. It's no accident you chose to do this now. L thought. "Well, what if we incarcerate you for a while, imprison you like we did Amane? If criminals whose names are made public keep dying, then it would lead us to think that you are innocent, right? Is that how you imagined it?"

"Hm." Soichiro thought.

"Honestly I don't like the way that this is going at all, but what choice do I have? Let's do it. I need you to fully restrain Light Yagami and place him in solitary confinement." L ordered.

"What!? You can't!" Soichiro protested.

"You wanna us to confine him seriously?" Matsuda yelled.

"If you people don't want to do this, I'll do this myself." Silena put a hand in her jacket and pulled out a pistol, then turned safety off.

"If we're gonna do this, then that has to happen immediately. From this point on, you can't be allowed to go anywhere where we can't see you." Ryuzaki decided.

"This is crazy! There's no way my son could be Kira! My son's not capable of." Soichiro started.

"It's OK, Dad." Light cut him off.

"Stop this, Light." Soichiro said.

"Listen. Something has to be done about this. As long as I'm having these doubts, I can't work with you to catch Kira. But Ryuzaki, Silena, promise me this; until you can say with absolute certainty that I'm not Kira, you cannot set me free, no matter what I might say or what condition I might be in." Light requested.

"You have my word. Mr. Yagami, can you come up with some sort of excuse for Light's absence, something to tell your family? And please do it now." L asked.

"But this is all so sudden. What should I say? And then I see no reason why he should be in prison." Soichiro still protested.

"Let it go, Dad. If I don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself." Light said.

"But son, do you really mean that?" Soichiro asked.

"Yeah. I believe that by giving up my very freedom, I'll defeat this fear that Kira lurks within me."

"Light. Come with me." Silena ordered as she lead the high schooler out of the room, carrying her gun in one hand.

Next, I just have to get rid of the notebook. Light thought.

"So, I guess apples are out of the question." Ryuk sighed.

"Ryuzaki, I'd like to request that you take me off this investigation." Soichiro requested.

"But why!?" The policemen asked.

"Chief, no!" Matsuda exasperated.

"I thought about it and the fact is that we're holding my son Light as a prime suspect. Given that, it's not appropriate for me to be here. When we spoke earlier, my feeling's got in the way. It's impossible for me to be objective in this situation." Soichiro said.

"I agree with you. We can't let personal feelings get in the way." Ryuzaki nodded.

"And in truth, if...if the task force concludes that my son is Kira, I don't know what I would be capable of." Soichiro bowed his head,

"Yes, I agree with you there. To be honest, I wonder what you might do. I believe you kill your son and then yourself. I'd also agree that it's best we don't have you working here for now." Ryuzaki agreed.

"Ryuzaki, I will ask that you can confine me as well. At the moment I'm calm, but to be honest I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

"I thought you might say that. So I spoke with Watari. He's made arrangements."

"Huh?"

"Hm, but your confinement would be different. You'll keep your cell phone turned on, and maintain regular contact with family and friends. You won't tell Light about this. If he does call you at some point, he must be made to believe that you are still at headquarters. While you are in confinement, we'll be giving you continuous updates on the investigation so you will know what's happening. So, how does that sound to you?"

"I'm grateful. Thank you."

"Hey, Mister, I really wanna take a bath. I'm pretty sure you already know where I live, don't you? Could you bring me some clean clothes?" Misa pleaded.

"I don't think this could get any more bizarre." Aizawa muttered.

"I feel so sorry for the chief right now." Matsuda sympathized.

"Ryuzaki, talk to me. What's happening? Have any new criminals been identified; anyone that Kira would be likely to target. If so, has he killed any of them?" Light asked,

"In fact quite a few criminals' names have been broadcast recently. But since you've been detained, we haven't had one report of a criminal being killed by Kira." L replied.

"Wait, no one's been killed? Really?"

"Yes."

"I see. So it's only a matter of time before I'm convicted as Kira."

"What I wouldn't give for an apple." Ryuk muttered.

 _What's going on here? I thought the murders would continue even after Light was confined._

 _Instead it stopped completely. Light asked to be confined in the first place. As this continues, it'll only strengthen the argument that he is Kira. The only question left would be whether or not he was conscious of being Kira. Does he really think that's gonna work? That'll be let off the hook if he can just prove he wasn't conscious of being Kira? It's not like Light Yagami. No, it's not like Kira. He's planning something else. Mental note: keep note of Light's personality, and what I can read from his eyes. If they drastically change in a short period of time, he did this on purpose_. Silena decided.

"I can't take this any more. If I don't get an apple soon, I don't know..." Ryuk complained.

"In the end, I just have to get through this, no matter what." Light muttered to himself.

"You know what, Mr. Stalker? Your video won't sell if it's just me sitting here the whole time." Misa called out.

"Mr. Yagami looks pretty bad. I think he's taking this harder than Light or Misa." L noted.

"What do you expect? It's been 5 days since Light was put in prison. And look, not a single criminal whose name has been broadcast was killed. In these situations, I think that parents must suffer a lot more than the accused." Matsuda reasoned.

"No kidding, especially now that we're seeing proof that Light is Kira." Aizawa agreed.

"Mr. Yagami." L spoken through the mic.

"What is it? Is it good news? Is it bad news?" Soichiro looked up.

"No. I wanted to tell you not to worry so much. It doesn't matter how much time you devote worrying about this, the outcome will be the same. This can go on for quite some time. Perhaps you should rest in a more comfortable place." L suggested.

"Impossible! What makes you think I care where I am? It won't change anything. With the state I'm in now, this is the best place for me. And no matter what the result, when I leave here, it's going to be with my son." Soichiro demanded.

"I understand." Ryuzaki nodded then switched mics. "Light, you've only been here for one week, but I'm sure it can't be easy. Are you feeling alright?"

 _Now that I've come this far, I think it's about time_. Light thought. "Yeah. I know I must look pretty bad in here, but this useless pride, I suppose I'll have to get rid of it!"

"Huh? Agggrh! Got it! Later!" Ryuk untwisted himself and fazed through the walls.

"Hm." L thought.

"Why am I doing this? I don't belong here. Ryuzaki, I realize that I was the one pushing for confinement and I asked you to put me in here. But I just realized something important; this whole thing is completely pointless." Light said almost pleading.

"Huh?" The task force asked.

"Because I'm not Kira. You have to get me out of here!" Light demanded.

"I can't do that. I promised you that no matter what you said, I wouldn't let you out until I was convinced that you were not Kira." Ryuzaki refused.

"Please, L, I wasn't thinking clearly. Do you really think a serial killer like Kira could commit those crimes without being aware of them? If I have no memory of these crimes, I'm not him!" Light begged.

"I've never been able to accept this idea that Kira has been acting without self-awareness all this time. But that doesn't change the fact that all the evidence points to you being Kira. Since we imprisoned you, Kira hasn't committed a single murder." Ryuzaki sighed.

"Listen. Just hear me out. I swear to you I'm not wrong. You have to believe me. I'm not Kira! I must've been framed. That's the only explanation for this!" Light continued.

 _What's wrong with you, Light Yagami? What you're saying is completely absurd, but for some reason it feels believable to me_. L thought.

"You have to let me out! We're wasting time!" Light yelled.

"We can't let you out yet." L shook his head.

"Damn! Why is this happening?" Light screamed in frustration.

"What the hell is going on? This isn't like Light at all. He's contradicting himself. It doesn't make any sense to me." Aizawa sighed.

"Well we can't release him now that the murders have stopped. It doesn't matter what he says.

I mean, even I know that much." Matsuda nodded.

"Anyway, I don't care what anyone says. As far as I'm concerned we have all the proof we need. Light Yagami is Kira, and that's the end of it." Aizawa shrugged.

"What's going on!? I just heard two week's worth of criminals were just murdered all at once. It happened yesterday." Matsuda reported.

"Yeah. Kira is back." Aizawa sighed.

"So did you guys already tell the chief?" Matsuda asked.

"No, not yet." Aizawa shook his head.

"This one, chief! Kira's started killing again!" Matsuda yelled.

"What?" The chief looked up.

"It looks like Kira was only resting. But now he started punishing criminals again." Matsuda screamed excitedly.

"Is that true, Matsuda? Then, that means my son... I shouldn't be happy that the people have been killed, but at least Light's name will finally be cleared. Wait. Knowing Ryuzaki, this won't enough to clear him."

"Well, he's in the gray." L lied.

"Did you hear what he just said, chief?"

"Yeah. It's a hell of a lot better than being completely guilty. Thank God."

"I'm sure as far as his grays go, he's a shade closer to being cleared. Let's tell Light."

"Matsuda!" L slapped his hand. "I mean, please don't, Mr. Matsuda. We shouldn't tell him about this."

"Bu...but why not?" Matsuda complained.

"Hello, Light." L said.

"What is it, Ryuzaki?" Light sighed dejectedly.

"You've been in here just over two weeks, and not a single new criminal has been punished. Now, why make this harder than it has to be? Are you ready to confess?" L continued.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm telling you you're wrong. I understand why you feel that way, but even if the evidence does point to me, I swear to you this is a setup. I am not Kira! Zoom in on me if you want. Go ahead. Look on my eyes. You tell me, do these look like the eyes of someone who is lying?" Light yelled.

"Zoom in. Ryu. Do it now!" Silena commanded. L zoomed in on Light's eyes. _I knew it. This was his plan all along. He made himself look guilty as possible, then did something to get clear his name instantaneously. Now what did he gain..._

"What do you see?" L stood next to the girl. Silena took hold of the collar of his turtleneck and dragged him to another room. She released him and L fell over.

"This was his damn plan all along." She hissed, throwing knives at the wall.

"Go on..."

"His eyes. His damn eyes, Ryu!" Another knife embedded itself in the wall. "They fucking changed overnight. One day it was a killer's eyes, like Beyond's eyes. Or have you forgotten the look in his bright red eyes? Malice and the intend to kill. Now the bastard has eyes that scream of his innocence."

"Silena? Silena!" Ryuzaki rushed forward as the girl collapsed. He picked her up and carried her to her room. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She stood up. "I know you hate admitting defeat, but, Ryu, we can't do this alone."

"What are you implying?"

"You know what I mean. We need your successors."

"Wait... My successors? Just mine? Don't you have successors too?"

"I'd prefer if my legacy started and ended with me."

 _"K. You need to choose your top picks for your successors." Watari told the 12 year old girl._

 _"I've been thinking." K stood up. "I don't want successors."_

 _"But if you died-"_

 _"When I die, which is inevitable, I want the detective known as K to die with me. A legacy I started, ends with me. Yes, I know this sounds selfish, but something that annoys me are people who inherit their fame, wealth, etc. and I think it would be better if these children started their own legacy instead of inheriting mine." She finished. Watari nodded and walked out._

"Contact your successors, we'll need them." Silena said. L nodded and walked out of the room.

"Amane. Are you ready to tell me who Kira is or not?" L asked Misa a final time.

"Huh, that again? I wish I knew, but I don't. Because if I did, I'll thank him for punishing the burglar who killed my parents. To me, Kira is a hero."

 _I don't understand what's going on here. But Silena is right. We need my successors._


	19. Execution

"You will continue to kill criminals whose names are broadcast. Outside of that you are free to use the death note however you wish. That's the only condition." Rem instructed the man. _If everything happens as Light Yagami planned, this should help save Misa._ "Do as I say and you'll get what you want. In the end it works out well for both of us. I suppose for someone in your position would call this good business."

"Mr. Yagami, are you alright? There's no reason for you to keep doing this to yourself." L asked.

"It's been over a month since Kira started killing criminals again. And as far as I'm concerned, that's all the proof I need to be sure that my son isn't Kira. So then all that left is for you to be sure. One way or another when I get out of here, it will be with my son." Soichiro said stubbornly.

"Wow, the chief can be pretty stubborn." Matsuda commented.

"Light, how are you feeling right now?" L asked.

"Ah, I'm OK. Ryuzaki, I know that in the time I've been in prison no new criminals have died. However, that suggests to me that Kira must be someone who's intimately familiar with my situation. And if that's the case..." Light replied.

"No, Light. The reason criminals have stopped dying is because you are Kira." L said.

"No! I'm not Kira! How many times do I have to say it?"

 _If Light were Kira, he'd know that I was bluffing, so why is he getting so upset? He honestly seems clueless. Maybe this has to K's theory. But what happened in those hours?_ L thought

"This is just cruel. I don't care if he is a suspect. Light still has a right to know that criminals are being killed again." Aizawa muttered.

"Amane." L spoke.

"Yes." She said, exhausted.

"Are you OK? You seem tired."

"Is that supposed to be funny? How are you expecting me to look after being tied up and questioned for this many days?"

"Hm, that's true."

"Please just let me go. I want to see Light. Please. Light. Let me."

"Ahh, I'm not sure how much more of this three of them can take." Matsuda shook his head.

"Ryuzaki, you have no reason to keep Light locked up any more. Do the right thing, and let him go. Then we can get the chief out, too. Criminals are still being killed, even though Misa and Light haven't had access to any of that information. We know that much already, so are you waiting for?" Aizawa agreed.

"Not true. All we really know at this point is that Amane has unnaturally strong devotion for Light Yagami." Silena pointed out.

"I'm sorry, but with all due respect, from where I'm standing, it's starting to look like you two are only doing this 'cause you don't want to admit that you were wrong about Light." Aizawa sighed.

"Yes. We figured you'd say that." Silena continued.

"OK, fine! But we do know that Kira killed Lind L. Tailor and those FBI agents, right? As Light said, if Kira could kill while under surveillance and without access to information, there would've been no need. If they didn't pose a threat to him, then why would he bother killing them? Kira doesn't kill without a good reason. I've heard you say so yourself on more than one occasion." Aizawa protested.

"Oh I see. If he was able to kill under these circumstances, then he wouldn't have been concerned about those FBI agents in the first place." Matsuda realized.

"It's already been 50 days. There's no point to this any more. Silena, it's time to start looking for the real Kira." Aizawa addressed the girl.

"Yes, I understand." Silena nodded.

"Mr. Yagami." L started.

"Yes, what is it?" Soichiro looked up.

"Would you be willing to come to headquarters, just once? I'd like to discuss my thought with you, but it must be done in person. However, above all else I need to talk to you as Light's father." L responded.

"All right. I'll come." Soichiro agreed.

"Honestly, all this time I've never pictured you as an old man, Mr. Stalker." Misa said.

"I'm not your stalker. I'm a detective with the NPA." Soichiro replied.

"What? Hey, wait. I remember now. He told me I was being arrested for being the second Kira.

You mean that was for real? No, you are a stalker. There's no way that the police would blindfold me and tie me up for fetish like that. Anyways, it's kinda weird that you have my hands and feet tied up even though you are planning to let me go?"

"Please. Just keep quiet."

"Oh, Light!"

"Misa!"

"Oh I missed you so much, Light!"

"Dad, tell me what's all this about."

"He's your dad? Oh my god, I totally called your Dad a stalker, and I used all kinds of other rude stuff. Oh, p, pleased to meet you. My name is Misa Amane. I-I'm Light's girlfriend and I'd like to.."

"There all you are, chief." Aizawa switched keys with him.

"Let's go. Get in the car."

"I was starting to think I'd never get out of there. But it feels good to finally be cleared." Light sighed.

"No. I'm afraid you two are being taken to your execution." Soichiro shook his head.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to be the one to escort you to the execution site. It was secretly built in an underground facility not far from here."

"Execution? What a hell are you talking about?"

"What? Isn't this a joke .. ?"

"L and K are convinced that you are Kira, Light, and that Misa Amane is the second Kira. They are convinced that the only way we can prevent the murder is to execute the two of you."

"I don't understand that. The killings have already stopped."

"No. They never stopped."

"They never? That's not what he told me, so he was lying?"

"L was trying to get a confession out of you, Light. He would've said anything. But at this point that's not the problem. It's political now. You see, L's suggestion that the killings would stop if you two were eliminated was unanimously accepted by top officials of the UN and the Japanese government. They want Kira to disappear. No trial, no publicity."

"But that's completely insane. Please, Dad, I'm not Kira!"

"That's right. What kind of father are you, anyway? This is your own son you're talking about!"

"L and K made this decision, not me. And their word is absolute. Over the years they've tackled the most difficult cases, solving all of them. They've never been wrong."

"You trust L and K more than you trust me, your own son?"

"L and K went so far as to stake his life on this theory. If killings don't stop, then they too will be executed."

"Huh? L and K said that? What could they be thinking? I know that, given the material evidence, this might seem like the only logical solution. But they're making a mistake! How could they come to this conclusion? Something's not right here. It's just..It's, it's not like L and K at all! The L and K I know would rely on hard evidence. They have to have the truth! Are they really preying on me to end it like this?"

"All right. We're almost there."

"Where are we right now? Why did you bring us out to the middle of nowhere. What is this?"

"Wait a sec. I bet he brought us here to let us go."

"This will do. Looks like there's nobody around to see us out here. I decided that it would be better for us if I brought you here instead of the execution site. Listen to me. I'm going to kill you here and then kill myself."

"What!? What are you talking about, Dad? You can't! That's crazy!"

"You kill your own son for L? If you wanna die so bad, why don't you kill yourself? If you do this, you're no different than Kira!"

"I am nothing like Kira. I am bound by my responsibilities as a parent and as the chief of the NPA."

"Dad, come on! She's right! Think about it; if we die here, the truth will never be revealed. Please Dad, you have to let us escape!"

"It's too late. Either way, you will be executed. At least with this, I will be the one to do it."

"Please stop, Dad. I'm not Kira! If I die here, Kira wins. Can't you see?"

"Amane, I'm going to die here with my son, but I have no reason to kill you. Do you understand what I'm saying? It's only a matter of time before the police locate this car. Then they'll transport you to the original site, and execute you there."

"Light, my son. From one murder to another, I'll see you in hell."

"No, Dad!"

"No, stop it!" Misa screamed as Soichiro pulled the trigger.

"You...used a blank?"

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"Thank goodness? What's going on? I don't understand."

"Please forgive me, you too. I know that was hard on you, but it was the only way I can get you out of prison. You must understand. I only agreed to do this because I believed in your innocence, Light. Were you watching, Ryuzaki? I did exactly as you said, and as you can see, I'm still alive."

"Yes, it was a convincing performance. If Amane were the second Kira, who only needs to see a person's face to kill them, there's no doubt she would have killed you before you had a chance to fire your weapon. Also if Light was in fact Kira, the Kira I know wouldn't hesitate to kill even his own father to save himself. With Light, in particular, I cannot rule out the possibility that he may've seen through all our act at some point, however as we agreed, I will end their confinement immediately. And as we discussed, Amane will remain under surveillance until Kira is apprehended. Although she insists the tapes we found were just occult videos, the physical evidence we have, plus her confession, suggest otherwise."

"Hey, no fair! You still suspect me?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't complain. You get to go back to your normal life. If you are innocent, the surveillance shouldn't be a threat to you. Think of it as complimentary police protection."

"Oh, I get it. Since I'm not the second Kira, it'll be kinda like I have my very own private body guards."

"As for your part in this agreement, Light, you and I would take together twenty four-seven, and that's how we'll remain until we brought Kira to justice."

"Fine by me. We'll catch Kira together."

"Yes. I look forward to working with you."

"Are you sure this is necessary, Ryuzaki?" Light asked as the click finalized the connection between L and Light. They were handcuffed together.

"This is as difficult for me as it is for you." L sighed.

"So is this what you meant by being together 24 hours a day with him? Looking at you, I never would have guessed. Are you on that side of the fence, Ryuzaki?" Misa questioned him as Silena died of laughter.

"I told you I'm not doing this because I want to. OK? Silena, shut up." L scolded.

"But Light belongs to me. I don't wanna share him with you. If you are with him 24-seven, then how are we supposed to go on dates together?" Misa complained.

"Oh, you can still go on dates, but it'll have to be the four of us." L said.

"Four?" Misa inquired.

"Oh. I almost forgot." L pulled out a separate pair of cuffs. Silena's eyes widened then she ran away. Ryuzaki followed her, pulling Light with him. Finally, Ryuzaki tackled her to the ground and put one of the handcuffs on her, then connecting the other one to Misa's hand.

"No. No. Fuck this. No. No. No." Silena pulled a Beretta FS92 out of her jacket along with a clip of ammo. She took aim and fired a couple of times. The chain between the girls broke. "And that's how you do it bitches." She laughed insanely.

"If I hadn't known you for 12 years, I would have thought you to be Kira." L muttered.

"First off, really? Second off, if I was Kira, you would be dead by now, you little prick." Silena shot back.

"No way! Are you telling me we have to kiss in front of you and stuff?" Misa finally registered what was happening.

"I'm not telling you to do anything, but yes, I suppose I'll be watching." Ryuzaki shrugged.

"That's so gross. You really are a pervert, aren't you?" Misa yelled.

"Light, please make Misa stop talking now." Silena rolled her eyes.

"Listen, Misa. That's enough. The police have already established that it was you who sent those tapes. So you are lucky to even be here right now. They have every right to keep you in prison." Light said.

"How could you even say that, Light? In case you forgot, I'm your girlfriend. Don't you trust your own soul mate?"

"Eh, what do you mean "soul mate"? You are the one who said you fell in love with me at first sight, Misa."

"So why did you kiss me, if you did not have feelings for me? You took advantage of me? Stupid, stupid..." She started throwing weak punches at him.

"No. That's not how you hit someone. This is how." Silena threw a punch at her, throwing her across the room. "Oops."

"About this love at first sight, it happened in Aoyama on May 22nd, didn't it?" Ryuzaki asked.

"So what?"

"Why did you choose that day to go to Aoyama? And do you remember what you wore?"

"It's like I told you. I just happened to go there. I don't know why. I don't remember how I felt. And I don't even know what I was wearing. Anyway, since when do I need a reason to hang out in Aoyama, huh?"

"And somehow when you came back from Aoyama, you knew that you were in love with some guy and that his name was Light."

"Yes!"

"And yet you yourself have no idea how you came to know his name."

"Yes, so what?"

"Tell me, what if Light was Kira? How would it make you feel?"

"Huh? How would I feel if Light was Kira?"

"That's right."

"Ohhh, that'd be wonderful. I mean, I've always been grateful to Kira for punishing the man who murdered my parents. So if I found out that Light was actually Kira, that would be like a bonus for me. If anything would make me love him even more, even though that's like practically impossible to love more than I already do."

"It's Kira, though. You'd love him even more for that? I mean, wouldn't you be afraid? What if he tried to kill you?"

"You're talking about Light being Kira? He wouldn't be scary at all. I'm a supporter of Kira, so if I found out my Light was actually him, I think of how I could be helpful."

"Hmm, That's very generous of you, but I'm pretty sure Kira doesn't need your help. Well, Misa, based on what you have just told me, there can be no mistake that you are the second Kira. But you've made it so painfully obvious that I don't really want to believe it."

"Whatever. It's not believable because I'm not the second Kira, OK?"

"Anyway for the time being, you'll remain under surveillance. When you do go out, if need be, you'd be able to contact us using this room's extension. For the most part of your life will return to normal. But from now on, for all private and work related affairs, Mr. Matsuda would be accompanying you as your new manager, Matsui."

"Matsui, here!"

"Your MC is being paid to keep quiet and the police don't know. Don't lose cover."

"This old guy is my manager? Oh, you can't be serious!"

"Come on! What's wrong with me, Misamisa? Is that the tie 'cause I can't get in..."

"Would you cut it out with all these dating and kissing and Misamisa talk already! This is the Kira investigation. Stop messing around!" Aizawa yelled.

"Sorry about that, Aizawa."

"No, it's all right. I just figured out what the problem is. Misa Amane, it's time for you to go to your room."

"Why!?"

"Out you go!"

"Hey Light, let's go on a date even if it is the three of us!"

"No!" Aizawa slammed the door behind her.

"So Light, are you serious about her?" K asked.

"No way. Like I told you earlier, it's completely one-sided." Light said.

"Then could you at least pretend to be serious for the sake of the investigation? There are two things I know about Amane for sure; one, that she's involved in this. And two, that she is in love with you." L requested.

"You want me to become intimate with her to gather information about the second Kira?"

"Yes. I think you could do it without arousing her suspicions. And Amane would definitely be a valuable source of information for us. Not to mention, this is the main reason why I agreed to release the two of you."

"Ryuzaki, as much as I wanna help you,and as important as the Kira case is to me, I can't manipulate woman's feelings like that. Please try to understand. To me,exploiting another person's feelings for a personal gain is unforgivable. And I won't allow myself to stoop that low."

 _There's something wrong with this picture. It is as if he's a different person now. Is it possible that this is an act?If this is genuine, it not only implies that Amane was being controlled by Kira but Light Yagami, too_. L shook his head.

"Hm, what's wrong, Ryuzaki?"

"Um, nothing. I suppose you're right after all. However considering Misa will have a lot of contact with the public, it would be helpful if you could make sure she doesn't leak information."

"By the way, do you think we could come up with some kind of the alternative to the system of moving from hotel to hotel every few days?"

"Yes! In fact I had that very same thought some time ago, and so, I arranged for a facility to be built. Construction started right after my first meeting with Mr. Yagami and the others. It should be finished in a few days." Ryuzaki nodded.

"23 floors above ground and 2 below and a special surveillance room for me. Although it's impossible to see from the outside, there are two helicopters hidden on the roof." Silena explained.

"What?" Matsuda gasped.

"That's amazing. Why do you need a surveillance room?" Light asked.

"I like to be in a different room so I can see it from multiple angles. Ideally I want all of us to spend as much time here as possible. If the investigation team grows, we can accommodate up to 60 people. Misa shouldn't have any complains since she will have her own floor."

:This is truly impressive, for you to go to such a length!" Light smiled.

"Hold on a second. Where did you two find the finances to build this thing?"

The detectives shared a glance before Silena said, "As you can see, it is my intention to solve this case no matter what it takes. That's how it is."

"I'm sorry, but how is that an answer?" Aizawa persisted as Silena shot him a glare.

"No, he is right. The mass killings are bad enough already, but personally, I'll never forgive Kira for putting my Dad and I through this. I wanna solve this no matter what it takes."

"If you are serious about that, you should try to get close to Misa and find out about the second Kira."

"I can't. That goes against my principles."

"Right. You said that. What a shame."

" I'm just feeling really motivated right now, chief. Ryuzaki, Silena, Chief Yagami, Light, let's get out of here and bring Kira to justice."

"Excuse me, I can't help but notice you missed my name."

"Well, this looks like all of us. Let's get started, shall we? We're all here to further the growth of Yotsuba group by reducing competition. So the question is; who is going to die?"

"I'm not thrilled that we have to do this every single week. This may be irrelevant, but I have to wonder what prompted Kira to start killing business people in addition to the usual criminals and such?"

"Come on now, haven't you figured this out yet, Takahashi? This is the most advantageous course of action for Kira."

"Advantageous? He's basically started a killing service, Higuchi."

"You have a lot to say considering how stupid you are. I'd hate to see you get killed because of it."

"Despite the fact we are all relatively young, all of us are now front runners to become Yotsuba's next CEO. Not to mention, our salaries are virtually eclipsed those of the other employees in the company."

"It's unlikely he would choose to back a particular company. No matter how you look at it, one of the people in this room has to be Kira."

"So, back to business. Does anyone have a proposal? Who should we have Kira eliminate this week, gentlemen?"

 _Human beings are truly disgusting creatures_. Rem sighed.


	20. Ally

"Oh, OK. Maybe the belt." Aizawa sighed. The machine beeped again. "Hm? What now?"

"Well, looks like the systems are gonna take some getting used to." Watari laughed.

"Fine! How's this? Ha!" Aizawa tried again.

"Good morning." Aizawa greeted.

"What's wrong? Did you get hurt?" Soichiro asked.

"Oh this? Kind of. Ah, I had a little fight with my wife, and it's just my daughter's still young and I'm hardly ever at home as it is, so..." He explained.

"Ah, yes. It's probably best if you sleep at home." Soichiro nodded.

"Well, you're gonna be missing out? The rooms in this place are amazing! If I were you, I'd just move the whole family in here." Matsuda gushed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's easy for you to say as a bachelor. Where are they?" Aizawa inquired.

"Oh they are on a date. Plus, we checked all of them were up the Misamisa's room." Matsuda replied.

"Surveillance cameras, huh? Since we know Misa has some connection to the second Kira, I guess it does make sense. But for god's sake, Matsuda, would you stop this Misamisa crap." Aizawa sighed.

"Ah, yeah, sure."

"Man, this is gonna be the lamest date I've ever been on." Misa complained.

"No, no, no. Please just pretend we're not even here, OK? By the way, are you gonna eat a piece of cake?" L asked.

"Cakes makes you fat. I'm not gonna eat any." Misa leaned back.

"Actually I found you don't get any weight as long as you burn calories by using the brain." L commented.

"So now you call me stupid? Fine, then, I'll give you the piece of cake as long as you agree to leave me and Light alone." Misa offered.

"Even if I leave you two alone, still I'm gonna be watching on surveillance cameras, so it wouldn't make any difference." L shrugged.

"You, pervert! Could you stop over your creepy hobby?"

"You can call me whatever you like. Last chance for cake."

"OK, then, I'll just close the curtains and turn off the lights."

"We have infrared cameras here as well."

"What's wrong with you? I thought moving here was supposed to help us to catch Kira. But since we've been here, you two don't seem all that motivated to me." Light broke the argument.

"Not motivated?" L asked.

"You're right. Actually we're depressed." K sighed.

"Depressed? What for?" Light questioned.

"Well, hmm, frankly all this time I thought you were Kira in my entire case, and it didn't in fact. I guess I just can't get past the fact that my deduction was wrong. Although having said that, I'm still suspicious of you. That's why you're attached to L. And we also know that Kira can control people's actions. Which means, It's highly likely that Kira was controlling your actions so that I would suspect you. If I assume both you and Misa Were being controlled by him, then everything we'd observed so far makes a lot more sense to me." K ranted.

"If that's what you think, Misa and I were both Kira's during the time we were being controlled, right?" Light continued.

"Yes. I don't think I couldn't have been wrong about that. The two of you are Kira." They said together..

"If what I was thinking was correct, when your confinement began you were Kira. I don't believe it's coincidence that as soon as you were imprisoned, all the killings stopped. Until then, everything pointed to you being Kira. But after two weeks, criminals actually began dying again.

Based on that evidence, I can only conclude that Kira's power passes between people." L started.

"That's an interesting idea. But if it's true, it'll be nearly impossible for us to catch Kira." Light stated.

"Yes. That's why I'm overwhelmed. Even if we catch someone under his control, they are likely to lose their powers and any memory of their crimes. So in the end pursuing them becomes futile." L sighed.

"But at this point we have no way of knowing if that's the case. Cheer up, would you?" Light suggested.

"Cheer up? No. I'm sorry I can't. It's probably better if I just stop trying so hard. By chasing Kira so desperately, we would just be putting our lives at risk for nothing. Yes, it's just a waste of time." Silena and Ryuzaki sighed.

"Hmmmm. Ryuzaki." Light said.

"Hm?" L looked up to get punched in the face. He flew across the room. "You know that really hurt."

"That's enough! You don't feel like doing anything just because your genius deduction was wrong and I'm not Kira?"

"Hm, fine. Perhaps I phrased that in the wrong way. And it would be pointless for us to make a move so we shouldn't even bother."

"If we don't chase Kira, he'll never be caught. Is that what you want? If you just gonna give up, then why did you involve all those innocent people? More importantly what is the point in putting Misa and me behind bars?"

"I understand. But still, whatever the reason... ..an eye for an eye, my friend." L twisted around and kicked Light in the face. Again the two boys flew across the room and crashed against the floor. "It's not my deduction that was wrong. That fact is, I can say that Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the second Kira. But it won't be enough to solve the case. And that's why I'm a little depressed. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Someone pass me the popcorn." Silena commented.

"Yes. Yes, it is. Beside you said here yourself. It is as if you won't be satisfied unless I am Kira."

"I..I won't be satisfied unless you're Kira. Well there may be some truth to that. In fact now that you mentioned it, you're right. I think I wanted you to be Kira." L shrugged as Light hit L in the face. "As I said before, an eye for an eye. Mm, I'm a lot stronger than I look, you know."

"We've gotta call the room and stop them." Matsuda yelled.

"Yes?" L picked up the phone.

"Ryuzaki, I've got a good news. Misamisa's No.1 in "Eighteen" magazine's reader popularity poll!" Matsuda fangirled.

"Oh, I see." L said, obviously bored.

"And get this, she's gonna get a lead role in Nishinaka's next movie!" Matsuda continued.

L dropped the phone onto the receiver. "What was that?" Light asked.

"Matsuda's acting stupid again."

"Well, that's his specialty."

"I can hear you, you know." Matsuda glared.

"Ryuzaki, I know you're not feeling up to it, but come over here for a second. Take a close look at this. It can't be coincidence." Light said.

"Huh?"

"All of them were prominent Japanese businessmen. CEOs whose companies are leaders in their respective industries. In just over a month, they all died of heart attacks. As expected, there's been a general downturn in the market with the exception of Yotsuba. In other words, their deaths have worked in Yotsuba's favor. Looking back, there've been 13 similar deaths in the past three months. Your thoughts? Based on this, I can only conclude that Kira is supporting Yotsuba."

"Huh. Could be. But if what you're saying is true, we can assume that punishing criminals is not this Kira's real intent."

"Right. Punishing criminals is diversion for him. It'd excuse the fact that he's actually killing people for the benefit of this company. Hm. Are you feeling a bit motivated now?"

"It's funny. This is starting to feel too easy. Look at all we've done. No one suspects that thing"

"Our stock continues to increase, but we've kept it below the radar."

"Indeed. Everything appears to be proceeding according to plan."

"That's true. However, there is one thing that has me concerned Those three we had killed last week. Why did all of them die of heart attacks? I thought we agreed one will be accidental."

"You're quite right. We did. The problem must be we named the specific location in Japan. You see, he wasn't even here when he died. I hear he and his mistress were in Italy at that time."

"Makes sense. If our request is physically impossible, then.."

"Kira will kill that person using his default method, a heart attack."

"It's just like I was saying last week. If you wanted to look believable, request accidental death or disease, and Kira will always find the quickest way to make it happen."

"Anyway, given Kira's history, the police probably still focused on dying criminals. Quite frankly, if someone was able to trace the death of these people back to us, they need have to be a god. Besides, we've taken precautions."

"Hey, chief. Oh, you, too, Mogi. I've got some great news. This is amazing! I'm not even sure how he figured it out, but Light has the theory that Kira is somehow involved in Yotsuba group. Can you believe it?" Matsuda beamed.

"Yotsuba?" Soichiro questioned.

"Oh, yes." Matsuda nodded.

"That's probably it. Good work." Soichiro gave a faint smile.

"Huh? What's happened?"

"We just spoke with the director and it seems Kira's offered bribe to a number of politicians." Soichiro explained.

"Kira made an offer. As long as the NPA agrees not to pursue him any more, he won't lay a hand on any politicians." The director sighed.

"So that's that. The police caved in to him." Soichiro concluded.

"Huh?" The rest of the men asked.

"Mogi and I have already made up our minds on this. Aizawa, Matsuda, if you wish to continue working on this case, you'll have to hand in your letter of resignation to the NPA just as Mogi and I are going to do. Like it or not, you cannot pursue Kira as a member of the police force any more." Soichiro clarified.

"Wha..ho..hold on a second, chief." Aizawa stammered.

"They made it quite clear. If you continue to work with L and K, you'll be fired. That's all there's to it." Soichiro finalized.

"So then, chief, you're gonna..." Matsuda trailed off.

"In a few hours I'm no longer going to be your chief. However, we all have our own lives. So think it over carefully." Soichiro advised.

"That's true, chief. Especially if you've got a family to support." Matsuda nodded.

"Huh." Aizawa bowed his head.

"If you want our opinion, you'd be better off as police officers we was alone, except for each other, when we started this case. And although we're grateful to all of you for staying with us as long as you have, we know that we can do this by ourselves. I'm sure to visit you at the department and bring you Kira's head as reward of all that you sacrificed." L said as K nodded in agreement.

"Ryuzaki, as long as I'm alive, you won't be walking alone. You have my word on that." Light decided.

"Hm, right. Now I have Light working with us until we catch Kira, so we won't be alone after all. But as L said, I think the rest of you should remain as police officers." Silena spoke.

"But when you first contacted us, you said that you would need the help of the police in order to solve this case." Soichiro protested.

"That's because the police as an organization were still hoping to arrest Kira. They weren't bowing to him. Besides, with all due respect, there is a big difference between the help of two or three civilians and the police as an organization. As you said, the police had made the position clear; they don't wanna catch Kira, so let's just leave it that." L shrugged.

"Huh, well, I suppose what you say makes sense. If we are not police officers any more, we won't be of much use to you. However, we are all personally involved in this. All of us have risked our lives to catch Kira. Doesn't that give us the right to decide whether we stay here or return to the police force." Soichiro countered.

"Mm, good point. Then by all means please make your decision." K nodded in understanding.

"But chief, wait. If you quit your job with the police force, you would be unemployed. Even if we do catch Kira, what are you gonna do after that?" Aizawa questioned.

"After that? I hadn't really thought of it, but I suppose after we catch Kira, I'll have to dust off my resume." Soichiro smiled.

"Count me in! I'm gonna quit the police and chase Kira, too, chief! And I still have my job as Misamisa's manager. Besides if I stayed on as a police officer, I feel like a total loser." Matsuda decided.

"Think before you open your mouth, Matsuda." Soichiro scolded.

"Is there any way I could still keep my job and help you in my spare time?" Aizawa asked, clearly torn.

"There isn't. If you remain a police officer, then please don't come back here." L said bluntly.

"But you know I won't leak any information!" Aizawa continued.

"I'm sorry , but I won't be sharing any of our information." Silena spoke softly.

"Ah." Aizawa shrugged defeated.

"You are free to pursue Kira on your own if you want to. But I don't think it's fair to your families to burden them by giving up your livelihood just to continue this. I can't see how that's a good idea." L reasoned.

"It's as Ryuzaki says. No one here is gonna blame you for quitting." Soichiro nodded.

"Yeah. Right. We all understand why you've gotta do this." Matsuda agreed.

"But chief has a family, too." Aizawa protested.

"Our situations are completely different." Soichiro put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, damn it! To leave now after all we've been through. I said that I was prepared to die if that's what it took to catch him and I meant it. What kind of friend would I be to Ukita if I quit now?

I became a detective so I can catch the bad guys, not run away!" Aizawa shouted.

"Ryuzaki, earlier on in the investigation, you specifically told me that if the task force member were to lose their job under any circumstances, I should make preparations to ensure that their families' financial future was secure." Watari asked. "If you recall, a trust was set aside for that very purpose. I'm a little curious as to why you're withholding this information."

"This not the time or place, Watari." L sighed.

"I'm sorry." Watari apologized.

"No way! So all this time we have nothing to worry about? I can't believe you did that. There we go, Aizawa. Isn't that a great news? Uh?" Matsuda looked at the man.

"Ryuzaki, I assume that this was some kind of test to determine how committed I was to this task force." Aizawa seethed.

"I-i-it's not like that, Aizawa. Ryuzaki is not the type to say things directly. You should know that by now." Soichiro defended L.

"Yeah. That's right." Matsuda nodded.

"No." L finally spoke.

"Ah?" Soichiro asked.

"I was testing you. I wanted to see which one you would choose." L admitted.

"Ryuzaki." Soichiro started.

"Fine, then. If I wasn't sure before, I am now." Aizawa decided.

"But Aizawa." Matsuda protested.

"Let's face it. I wasn't able to decide right away like you guys. I was leaning towards going back to the police."

"Come on, Aizawa. Don't be so stubborn."

"No. I quit! Now I know this for sure. I've always hated Ryuzaki. I hate him in his way of doing things"

"That's too bad, because I like you, Aizawa." L muttered.

"I also hate the way you've always gotta have the last word. You insult me. Now you're saying something like that? That's it. I'm outta here."

"Thank you for everything." Silena whispered. _It's probably for the best. He may be fine with dying on this case, but his family won't. Leaving a child without a father is very tragic._

"I just found another one. A general manager of a bank, Yotsuba's biggest competitor. On September 7th, he slipped and fell on the front steps of his house and died instantly." Light reported.

"September the 7th was Friday, wasn't it? After going over this again, I noticed something. All the deaths, which are beneficial to Yotsuba, are concentrated around the weekends." Soichiro pointed out.

"Huh? On the weekends?" Matsuda asked.

"With the first few victims, the time of deaths appears to be at random. More recently they all take place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon." Soichiro continued.

"I'm amazed that you even noticed that, chief."

"Matsuda, I thought I told you to stop calling me chief."

"I'm sorry, but you'll always be the chief to me."

"This is a really important clue, Dad. Nice work."

"Well, you know, I can't let myself fall behind you, Silena, and Ryuzaki. After all the last thing I want is to be deadweight."

"Huh, deadweight?"

"Is Kira someone from Yotsuba, or is Kira simply using Yotsuba? I haven't figured that out yet, but we'll proceed under the assumption that this is Kira's doing. We will focus on Yotsuba."

"This is all of the Yotsuba group's employees. Here." Mogi handed Silena a pile of paper.

"Thank you very much." Silena smiled.

"That's 300,000 people. How did he put this together so quickly? That's amazing, Mogi." Light exclaimed.

"He's been incredibly efficient from the start." Silena shrugged.

"Ryuzaki. Please tell me. Is there anything I can do to help the investigation besides the manager thing?" Matsuda requested.

"So you really wanna be useful?" L raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Matsuda nodded.

"Then could you get me another cup of coffee?" L asked.

"Huh?"

"And for our guests over there as well."

"Ahh, who are they?"

"Hold on a sec, who let them in?" Light asked.

"Those are the newest members of the task force." Silena said as five people walked into view.

"My name is Aiber. I'm a con man. How's it going?" The blonde man greeted.

"I'm Wedy. And I'm a thief by trade." The woman smiled.

"I'm Near."

"Matt."

"Mello."

"Hm, a con man, a thief, and three children." Soichiro sighed.

"That's right. Aiber is a lifelong con man. He has unparalleled social skills that allows him to be friend and gain the trust of any target. We'll use him for infiltration. As for Wedy, she is a thief specialized in cracking high end security systems. As proof of that, she was able to enter the building without setting off a single alarm. And for Near, Matt, and Mello they are my successors." L introduced.

"Wait. Mello and Near are your successors?" K spit out her drink.

"Yes. You didn't know that?" L asked.

"No. Plus, I may or may not have annoyed them." Silena admitted.

"Who are you?" K asked when she crossed paths with the white-haired boy.

"Near. And you?"

"Far." She said sarcastically.

"Why did you just come out of the boy's bathroom. The ladies room is over there." K told Mello.

"What did you say, you little bitch." Mello rushed forward, trying to land a hit on the girl. She grabbed his arm then flipped him over.

"Stop being so MELLOdramatic." She chided him.

"You expect us to work with criminals?" Soichiro demanded.

"Yes. That is correct. However, these two have never once been caught. So it's unlikely they'll be killed by Kira. Think of them as professionals of the underworld." K explained.

"I understand. To investigate Yotsuba, we're gonna need the help of people like this. Let's all do our part and make this happen, OK?" Light agreed.

"Yeah!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Daddy?" A girl beamed.

"Huh?" Her mother asked.

"Haha, Daddy!" The girl ran up to Aizawa.

"Yumi. Eriko." Aizawa smiled faintly.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work right now? You need to tell me if you're planning to be home for dinner. I just went shopping and only bought for me and Yumi." Eriko explained.

"You can eat my dinner and I'll have dessert instead." Yumi offered.

"Sorry. It was sort of a last minute decision but they just gave me some time off." Aizawa explained.

"Is the time off a vacation, Daddy?" Yumi questioned.

"Yeah. That's right." Aizawa said weakly.

"Yeepee!" Yumi cheered.

"From now on, I can have a break every single week. Now I can go with you to the park. Maybe we can go to the zoo together or the amusement park." Aizawa sobbed.

"Hm? What's wrong, Dad? Mommy, why is Daddy crying?" Yumi inquired.


	21. Matsuda

_"Quiet, Matsuda! This is not the time to be fooling around! Knock it off!" Soichiro scolded._

 _"Yes, sir ..." He bowed his head._

 _"This is the Kira investigation! Stop messing around!" Aizawa yelled._

 _"Sorry, Aizawa ..." Matsuda apologized._

 _"Matsuda! Please, don't." L slapped his hand away._

 _"After all, the last thing I want is to be dead weight." Soichiro shrugged._

 _"Ryuzaki, is there anything I can do to help with the investigation, besides the manager thing?" Matsuda requested._

 _"Could you get me another cup of coffee?" L asked._

 _"Huh?!" Matsuda gawked at the detective._

 _I wanna help, too! I wanna contribute to the case!_ Matsuda thought.

"I love you. So please don't tell me you are going home now. Instead, say you'll stay by my side." Hideki Ryuga leaned in to kiss Misa.

"Ah, Mr. Director? I can't do this. I have a boyfriend. Can we cut the love scenes, please?" Misa protested.

"Wait! Where did this come from all of the sudden?!" The Director asked.

"Can't we just fake kiss or something?" Misa continued.

"What?! You kidding! You can't just for this to make a movie like that!" The Director demanded.

"If I say no, then it's no. OK?" Misa stood her ground.

"Oh, come on!"

"C'mon. Get rid of her! Fire her!" A woman yelled.

 _The Yotsuba Group's main Tokyo office. And today is Friday_. Matsuda thought.

 _"All the deaths that are beneficial for Yotsuba are concentrated around the weekends."_

 _"The last thing I want to be is dead weight."_

 _"Mogi's been incredibly efficient from the start."_

 _"Quiet, Matsuda! This is not the time to be fooling around."_

 _"Would you cut it out?!"_

 _"That is his specialty."_

 _"Then, could you get me another cup of coffee?"_

 _"Matsuda!"_

"Matsu?! Hello, Matsu?! Get over here!" Misa called after Matsuda's retreating figure.

"I guess he had run off somewhere." A man suggested.

"Huh?!" Misa sighed.

"All right, for the time being, I want you to start going over this list here." Soichiro ordered.

"Yes, sir. Right away." Mogi nodded.

 _Would I punish evil doers and criminals if I could kill by just seeing a name and a face? Is that what I'd do if I had that sort of power? I mean, it's true that there are lots of people around that the world could frankly do without. But I don't think I'd become a murderer just to change the world. Surely I wouldn't do that! No, I'm taking too hard about this. There's no way anyone can murder so many people and not have any memory of it._ Light stared off into nowhere.

"What's wrong? You've been staring at me for the last two minutes. Wait, let me guess. You must be annoyed because I'm the only one eating cake at the moment, am I right?" L guessed.

"No, that's not it." Light shook his head.

"Here." L offered.

"Really, don't worry about it." Light declined.

"Ryuzaki, Silena." Watari said.

"Yes? What is it?" Silena questioned.

"Detective Elardo Coil has just received a private request to investigate and reveal the identity of L and K." Watari reported.

"Isn't Elardo Coil supposed be the second-greatest detective in the world after L himself? Who on earth would send such a request?" Soichiro inquired.

"The man who set up Coil's service is Masahiko Kida. The head of Rights and Planning Department of the Yotsuba Group's headquarters in Tokyo." Watari read.

"So, it is Yotsuba." Soichiro realized.

"We know that Yotsuba must be related to Kira. If they are trying to find out L and K's identity, it's probably because they wanna kill him and need that information to do it." Light agreed.

"This isn't good. We are already short-handed enough as it is. And now we have to worry about Coil, too." Soichiro sighed.

"It's quite all right. The detective known as Elardo Coil is me. It's quite simple, really. Three of the greatest detectives in the world; L, and Coil are actually me. K, and Deneuve,are actually controlled by Silena. It's been my experience that people who try to find us usually fall for this. I'll give you this strawberry if you keep it a secret, OK?" L handed Mogi a strawberry.

"I'm impressed as always, you two." Light smiled.

 _Maybe I should leave while I still have a chance. No! Then, there would have been no point in coming here. Should I wait until everyone's gone and search the offices? I can't. I probably get caught doing that and then ... Maybe I should get outa here_. Matsuda thought as he hid behind a wall.

"Ah, not this again. I'm too tired." A man sighed.

"Look on the bright side. At least it falls on the weekend. We never know how long these confidential meetings will last for. Can you imagine if we did this on Mondays? That would be a worse start for a week ..." Another complained.

 _Confidential meetings? All right! The 19th floor. I made it this far! I'm gonna see it through!_ Matsuda grinned.

"All right. I just have to get close to them, right? Leave it to me." Aiber questioned.

"And you want me to make sure that we're able to breach the security and override the surveillance cameras in the Yotsuba Group's head office, is that all?" Wedy shrugged.

"Yes. At this point, it's safe to assume that Kira and the Yotsuba Group are connected in some way. We are going to investigate Yotsuba to determine who holds Kira's power and if there is more than one person who possesses this ability. We need a clear understanding quickly." K confirmed.

"We cannot let anyone from Yotsuba figure out that we are investigating them. Please realize that if they do notice it, it means we won't be able to catch Kira." L continued.

 _Damn it! I can't hear them clearly. If only I could hear just one thing; something important._ Matsuda thought.

"... kill him ..." Someone said.

 _I just heard someone say kill!_

"... Kira would have proved ..."

 _Kira! There it is! Kira, they said it! What's that? That's "have Kira get rid of him?!" I heard it! They really are working with him! I did it! This is huge! Huh. Ah? Oh ..._. Matsuda fell through the doors.

"Who the hell are you?!" A man demanded.

"Please be sure not to act impossibly out of panic or haste. And don't take matters into your own hands." Silena instructed.

"Silena." Watari started.

"Yes." K looked at the elder man. "What is it?"

"I have just received an emergency signal from Matsuda's belt." Watari continued.

"Eh, where is he?" L looked up in interest.

"It seems that is coming from within the head office of the Yotsuba Group." Watari finished.

"Ah, sorry to barge in like this. My name is Taro Matsui. I'm an agent with the Yoshida Productions. I just dropped by to ask you if your company would be interested in using our top multi-talented star Misa Amane as your new spokesperson! Eh ..." He improvised.

"This'll regard everything I just said. I'll need to rethink our strategy. Huh, Matsuda, you idiot!" K sighed in frustration

"Yoshida Productions. Taro Matsui. He doesn't have anything suspicious on him. I suppose that mean he isn't a corporate spy." One whispered to his peers.

"Hahaha, Right! Em, so please take Misamisa into consideration." Matsuda laughed nervously.

 _This two are only acting as guards. The rest of them must be discussing how to get rid of me. Oh, there is no way out of this. I'm gonna be killed for sure! I wonder if the emergency signal got through. Fool, never mind that. Even if it did, would Ryuzaki and Silena come and save me? Oh, no! What's gonna happen?_

"Go ahead. You can answer it. Don't say that you're here, though. And hold it away from your ear. Make sure we can listen in on your conversation." The man ordered when Matsuda's phone rang.

"OK." Matsuda answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Yo, Matsui!" L spoke in an accent.

 _Ryuzaki!_

"Yeah, it's me Asahi. It's been a while, buddy?" L continued.

"Asahi! Yeah, it's been a long time."

"Yeah, it doesn't sound like you are out right now. Don't tell me you're home already."

"Yeah."

"So, you by yourself?"

"Yeah. I'm by myself. What's up?"

"He's not with Misa Amane right now. Matsuda must be on his own." L spoke to the rest of the group. "So do you wanna like go out drinking tonight?"

"Oh, right now? Oh, sorry. I'll have to pass tonight."

"Oh, what's the matter? Don't tell me your wallet is in trouble again."

 _In trouble!_ "Yeah, that's right. Big troubles with money. You know me way too well."

"Matsuda is saying he is in big trouble." L continued. "Oh, that's too bad. Guess I'll drag you out some other time, all right? See ya, buddy!"

"Anyway, what do you think about contracting Misamisa? I think she'll be a great spokesperson for your company." Matsuda offered again.

"If you're gonna promote one of your clients, shouldn't you at least bring them with you?" One asked.

"Do you expect us to believe you're this girl's manager?" Another doubted.

"Well, to be honest, at the moment she is filming a movie nearby. When she's finished, I'll call her and get her over here. Then you can see why she'll make a great spokesperson." Matsuda explained. _I have to keep stalling them somehow._

"Misa's cell phone is on voice mail right now." Light reported. "I left her a message and told her to get me back as soon as she can."

"What are you planning to do, Ryuzaki?" Soichiro asked.

"Well...we have to consider that if Matsuda dies, the suspicions about the Yotsuba Group will be confirmed." L shrugged.

"Hmm." The men sighed.

"Let's just watch the situation for the time being." K suggested.

"What shall we do?"

"The main question is whether he heard anything."

"If there's possibility, no matter how small, we have to kill him."

"I wonder if he really did come here just to promote his client. He could be an undercover cop."

"No, that can't be it. The Japanese police have completely withdrawn support from Kira case."

"Look, it doesn't really matter who he is. We have no choice but to kill him."

"You know, now that I think about it, it might be good to have a face of a company."

"Oh, exactly! Her shoot should be done soon, so please wait. She'll convince you." Matsuda smiled.

"Mmm, I'm beat! Huh, I got a call from Light! He really does worry about me when I'm late. Haha." Misa dialled Light's number.

"Misa?" Light answered.

"Light, I'm sorry. I've been working so much. I'll be finished soon, OK?"

"Misa, you're not with Matsuda at the moment, are you?"

"Him? He's a total jerk. He just ran off and left me here. Oh, hang on. I'm getting a call on my work phone. Oh, hey, it's from Matsu!"

"Misa's just received a call from Matsuda."

"Tell her to hold her phone so that we can listen in as well." Silena yelled.

"Misamisa, when you finished filming, come over to the Yotsuba Group's head office. It's still tentative, but there's a chance you may be able to appear in Yotsuba's commercials! We're working at it now." Matsuda said.

"What? It's for real? You are amazing, Matsu. So that's what you've been up to all this time. Don't worry. We're wrapping up soon." Misa reported.

"Great. It's just a short trip by taxi." Matsuda nodded.

"Listen to me, Light. There is a chance that we may be able to save Matsuda. But we won't be able to do it without Misa's help. She'll listen to you and do anything you say, won't she?" L asked.

"I'm Misamisa! My only role is, I don't do nudes. But swimsuits and lingeries are totally OK. It's really nice to meet you." Misa greeted.

"Hm, I gotta admit she is really cute in person." Takahashi shrugged.

"That's not exactly the main issue now, wouldn't you agree?" Kida asked.

"By the way, Matsu, since Yotsuba is a big catch, I've just got the OK from our office to have special reception." Misa smiled.

"Hm, reception?" Matsuda questioned.

"Good evening! We're very pleased to meet you!" A group of models and a certain world class detective greeted together. _I will kill you, L._

"Tonight I'll be entertaining you with our special guests along with the girls from the agency." Misa bowed, wearing a pink crop top with a heart cut out of it, along with a matching high waisted skirt.

"Hey, It might just be me, but we're just getting weird." Shimura admitted.

"Hm, well, it can't be helped. But right now, we can't afford to leave Misa's manager alone for a second." Midou sighed.

"Let's just go with it. I'm gonna enjoy myself." Takahashi shrugged.

"All right. I'll go along with this." The rest of the group nodded.

 _Ryuzaki and others will be able to watch us from here. I guess Silena is here to make sure nothing goes wrong. This is my way out_. Matsuda grinned.

"Here you are. Drink right up." Misa cheered.

"Hm, well, well. Misa's pretty good at this sort of thing." L noted.

"Excuse me, guys. I gotta go to the bathroom." Matsuda walked out of the room. "Ryuzaki, are you watching this?"

"Yes."

"Look, I'm really sorry that I..."

"That's not important right now."

"OK. Listen. The eight men who came here were having a meeting to determine who they get Kira to kill for them. I heard them say it clearly. There's no doubt they're behind this."

"Yes, that is probably true. But if you did overhear them and they caught you, then they'll almost certainly be trying to kill you now."

"Ah, I know. Do you think there's anything I can do to save myself?"

"Well, luckily you still are alive, so we may be able to save you. But for that to happen, you will have to die before they can kill you."

"What!?"

"I want you to listen to me very carefully."

"Oh...no way! But that's...that's crazy!"

"...and you know, our company is expanding." Ooi pointed out.

"Hey what the hell...?" Shimura raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, I'm so drunk! Hi, everyone! That's great, huh.. Now everyone, the moment you've all been waiting for! The Taro Matsui show, haha!" Matsuda stumbled into the room.

"Hey, what is he doing?" Higuchi asked.

"Yay, you can do it! Go, Matsu!" Misa cheered.

"All right. Here we go!" Matsuda stepped onto the railing of the balcony.

"Hey, you're drunk. That's way too dangerous." Shimura said.

"Don't worry. I'm just fine. I do this all the time." Matsuda snorted.

"Stop. Hey, you, don't do it! What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"It's all right. No pro... Aaaah!" Matsuda fell off the railing, landing on a mattress hanging out a floor below.

"He fell!" Takahashi screamed.

"This can't be good." Shimura shook his head.

"Oh, no! I heard thud, so I came out." Wedy yelled. "This is just horrible. Someone, call an ambulance!"

"Geez. This sure is a crappy role." Aiber complained.

"You want to see a crappy role? I'll switch with you anyday." Silena hissed into her earpiece.

"Look, everyone. I think you should all just leave this forus to take care of and go home." Misa waved them out.

"What? But.." Takahashi started.

"Don't worry. We'll handle it. Just don't forget about me for your next campaign, OK?" Misa persisted.

"Let's go. If the press sees us, we are in trouble. Yeah." Midou agreed.

"What's going on? It's a little joke?" A woman yelled.

"Well, we are lucky that he ended up dying right in front of us at any rate." Hatori sighed.

"While I'm aware of that fact we're shorthanded, I'm not very pleased about having to do this sort of thing myself Matsuda, you idiot!" L glared.

"Misa Amane's manager dies in fall." Kida read aloud. "Yes?"

"You're Masahiko Kida, VP of Rights and Planning department in Yotsuba's Tokyo office, correct?" Aiber asked.

"Yes, that's right, and who am I speaking to?" Kida continued.

"I go by the name of Eraldo Coil. I'm calling to discuss my terms with you." Aiber roleplayed.

"What!? A 2 million dollar in advance and 8 million upon completion?Is he out of his mind?" Higuchi yelled.

"That's not all. Even if we don't commission him, we have to pay him 2 million just to keep him silent." Kida continued.

"So he wants hush money, ha? If he's saying something like that, we should assume Coil knows quite a bit already."

"This is getting ridiculous. I've had it! I want out of this meeting right now. I don't know who Kira is, and I don't care. I just don't want to get wrapped up in this and end up in jail!"

"Ha, Hatori, I think you are going to end up dead tomorrow."

"No way! That was only a joke. It's not like that. I'm in! I'll see this to the end."

"So what are we going to do? Coil is still willing to accept the job despite what he already knows."

"Isn't it obvious? He'll become partners with us as long as we pay him."

"His demands are exorbitant, but we need to have someone as skilled as Coil on our side."

"Good point. Pay him. It doesn't matter how much."

"Exactly! We just have to pay him."

"All right. We'll contract Coil. Anyone has any objections?"

"No objections."

"K, are you listening? I'm so disappointed. I thought this would be a challenge. Security level here is a joke! They've left it all to a single contractor. There weren't even any wiretap detectors." Wedy complained.

"It's been about a week since I first snuck into the place. It looks like things have been moving pretty smoothly since then, huh?" Matsuda asked.

"We've almost got them." Light smiled.

"So, one of these people...is Kira." L said.

"Well then, now that everyone's here, let's commence a regular meeting." Ooi started.

"But if they supposed to be eight, why are there only seven?" Soichiro asked.


	22. Makeshift

"Well then, let's begin tonight's meeting." Ooi started.

"They're supposed to be eight of them, but only seven are present. That must mean that ..." Light trailed off.

"They probably killed one of their members." Silena finished for him

"In order to further the growth of the Yotsuba Group and to serve its financial interests, who should we kill next?" Ooi continued.

"Huh!" Everyone gasped.

"You see?! It's just like I told you last week!" Matsuda said.

 _This is not good. At this rate ..._ L thought.

"But before we get to that, there are several topics that we need to discuss. First, there is the issue of Hatori's death." Ooi introduced.

"That was unavoidable. To be honest, in the certain stance, I'm relieved that Hatori's dead. Kira has demonstrated that we must be committed to these meetings. We now know what'll happen if we try to leave." Namikawa shrugged.

"I think we all understand what Hatori's death means for the rest of us. Let's not take it lightly.

Now, moving on. Our next topic is Elardo Coil's report." Ooi continued.

"Huh?! One of their members just died and that's all they are going to say?" Soichiro exclaimed.

"So, did we really pay 5,000,000 dollars for this report? I mean, come on, look at this! He hasn't found out anything important about L like his name or his face! Is this Coil guy seriously going to be even useful to us?" Higuchi complained.

"Hold on a second. There is something very interesting in the last part of this report. Coil's warning us that we can't afford to take L's existence too lightly. In particular, it says that concentration of killings that are beneficial to Yotsuba will likely be noticed by L if they continue on Fridays and Saturdays." Ooi noticed.

"Sounds like this Elardo Coil has figured out what we've been up to. I admit he's quite impressive. At any rate, I personally think we should stop killing every weekend." Midou sighed.

"This is unbelievable! It's like they're trying to confess everything." Matsuda yelled.

"Hm. As long as we have this video as evidence, we could probably arrest all seven of them." Soichiro decided.

 _This is not good_. Silena glared.

"Kira hasn't been flexible up till now, has he? It would be nice if he could spread out his killings over the whole week." Higuchi suggested.

"The fact that Coil noticed what we've been up to makes it too dangerous to continue killing at our usual pace. From now on, we have to be even more careful and make sure that nobody else happens to notice a trend in these deaths." Midou sighed.

"Now, on to the main topic. Who should we kill?" Ooi asked again.

"I think we should focus on ELF Insurance. If they expand into the Japanese market, Yotsuba and many other companies will lose valuable clients to them." Midou decided.

"Agreed." Kida nodded.

"All right. Any objections to killing these people from ELF with accidental deaths?"

"No objections."

"Is this for real? How can they do this so easily?" Light demanded

"Another potential candidate is Sentaro Zenzai; a member of the Kugisawa Group. He's been protesting Yotsuba's resort development plans. Zenzai's known to have high blood pressure so we can designate a time for him to suffer a stroke resulting in a natural death. Any objections?"

"No objections."

"Kira, deaths by accident, by disease, designated times of deaths. It's all just as we suspected! We were right!" Light yelled.

"No. Unfortunately, we can only be completely sure after those people they've named are dead. We will continue to monitor these meetings and take note of what they say, how they act, and, most importantly, whether the people they choose actually die. If we can confirm the connection between their plans and the deaths, then we'll definitely be able to catch Kira." Silena said.

"Silena!" Light and Soichiro screamed at the girl, making her drop the knife she was sharpening.

"Eh, oh, what is it? There's no need to yell in unison." She complained.

"I can't carry on knowing these people will die! That's just immoral!" Light shouted.

"Right!" Soichiro agreed.

 _Here comes ..._ L sighed mentally.

"I know you're planning to catch Kira by letting these guys actually carry out these murders, but we can't let that happen!" Light demanded.

"That's right! It's obvious that these seven men are behind the killings. With Matsuda's testimony and this footage we've recorded, we have all the evidence." Soichiro yelled.

"You people are making this difficult. If we were to take action now, everything we've done will go to waste." K facepalmed at how annoying normal people could get.

"So what would you say we take care of the ELF in three weeks and, as for Zenzai, we'll ask Kira to kill him this weekend." Ooi suggested.

"No objections."

"If that's what they are going to do, then there is not much time left. Light, we already know the phone numbers of these board members, don't we?" Soichiro questioned.

"Yeah." Light nodded.

"I don't care who we call. I need to reach one of these men and have them stop these murders." Soichiro decided.

"Please hold on. That will cause suspicion. It would mean the investigation caught up to them three days after they were contacted by Aiber. Also, it would make it far more unlikely that we will be able to discover who the real Kira might be. We can't afford such a huge setback seeing how far we've come. In order to catch Kira, we are going to need some solid proof." Silena reasoned.

"... Silena, if one of these seven men is in fact Kira, would it be safe to say that if I try calling one of them, the odds of that person actually being Kira is going to be one in seven?" Light asked.

"I'm thinking there could be more than one Kira among them; a probability of two in seven at most." K countered.

"If we were prepared to let them know that the investigation is catching up to them, let's place our bets on these odds. Ryuzaki, I'm going to pose as L. Judging from their conversation so far, the one least likely to be Kira but with the most influence is ..." Light started.

"Namikawa." L, K, and Light spoke at the same time.

"It's Ooi! Er ..." Matsuda pointed out.

"If you're gonna make a call, please use this phone. It's set up so it can't be traced or tapped." K sighed.

"You know, this will all go a lot faster if we kill off the execs of our rival companies be done with it." Higuchi suggested.

"Ah, that would be going a little too far." Midou shook his head.

"Why? We can kill them and split their holdings." Ooi shrugged as Namikawa's phone went off.

"Is this Reiji Namikawa, head of the Yotsuba Group's marketing department?" Light asked through the voice scrambler.

"Hm, yes. And who is this?" Namikawa questioned.

"Listen carefully but don't draw attention to yourself. I am L." Light lied and Namikawa inhaled sharply. "I've placed cameras and wiretaps surround that meeting room. Even as I speak, I'm recording footage of your entire meeting. The first thing you discussed was Hatori's death. Now you are debating who to kill next, am I correct?"

 _He's been watching everything!_

"If you are not Kira or if you are not someone who can contact Kira directly, let's make a deal."

 _A deal?_

"I need you to delay the deaths of ELF's president and Mr. Zenzai by one month. I got it won't be difficult for someone in your position to accomplish that."

"Yes. Yes, I see. Right. Eh, go on."

"If you complete your end of the deal and cooperate with our requests, from now on, the your crimes, no, not just yours but everyone's crimes with the exception of Kira's will be pardoned, based on the premise that Kira blackmail you into participating in these meetings."

"I see. OK." _My only option is to join L! No! I'd be dead if Kira manages to find out! What should I do?!_

"If you tell the others about this call, they will panic. It would be of no advantage to you. Everyone would be arrested immediately. But that's not my intention. I'm planning to go one-on-one against Kira. Listen. If I win against Kira, you'll be acquitted of all charges. If Kira wins, then you'll be free to carry on your comfortable life. Just play along with both parties. Staying on the sidelines would be best. You're not in a position to lose anything regardless of who wins in the end. You would only be at a loss if I decided to arrest you right here and now."

 _Damn it! He already knew what answer I would have given._

"That's all for now."

"Right, I'll see you on Monday then." Namikawa finished as Light hung up.

"What's going on, Namikawa? Who was that?" Ooi asked.

"Oh, one of my men screwed up again and I'll have to fix it on Monday. Anyway, sorry for the interruption. Let's get back on topic. We were discussing when we should kill Zenzai and the men from ELF. Here's what I'm thinking. We'll give Coil one month to reveal L and K's identity.

If still he hasn't uncovered the information we need, then we can go ahead and kill the targets randomly. Then, we'll give him another month to investigate. And repeat the process. Once we get rid of L permanently, we can go back to killing two or three people a week. In other words, our top priority should be the elimination of L and K." Namikawa suggested.

"I see. Once we kill L. there won't be anything standing in our way. But until then, we need to be careful." Midou nodded.

"Right. Sounds like a reasonable plan to me. We need to be extremely careful if we don't wanna get caught. Then, we are in agreement. We'll give Coil one month."

"Agreed."

 _L, this should satisfy you for now._ Namikawa thought.

"We'll still be meeting on a weekly basis. That is all." Ooi concluded.

"That went well." K noted.

"Yeah." Light agreed.

"You really are quite amazing, Light. Not only did you manage to delay the killings but you also set up Namikawa's potential more for us. Sounded exactly like the sort of thing I would do. And you thought of it quicker than I did. At this rate, if I end up dying somehow, it's quite possible that you would be capable of succeeding me, for unlike L, I have no successor." K lied.

"What?! Why you've been so morbid? There isn't time for that. We only have a month to figure out Kira's identity and gather evidence against him to prove it! This is only the beginning."

"Yes, but you were the one who first noticed the connection between Yotsuba and Kira. You actually might be more capable than I am. I honestly believe you could take this on."

"Huh?"

"Tell me. If I should die, would you take over for me as K?" _If he is Kira and just playing innocent, he's sure to say yes._

"What are you talking about? ... Huh?! I see. Silena, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to tell everyone what you're really thinking right now. She thinks that if I am Kira, then there are two possibilities either I'm just pretending I'm not him and putting on an act or Kira's power has passed on from me to someone else and I have no memory that I was ever Kira in the first place.

She's trying to determine which, if either, is the truth. The first theory, if I am putting on an act, she will never remove these handcuffs. No, even if I wasn't pretending to be innocent, I'm sure she still wouldn't allow L to take them off. Silena and Ryuzaki still believe that I'm Kira. Even if that power had been passed to someone else, she thinks that I would have planned to have it return to me once I'm safe from suspicion. In other words, I wasn't being controlled at all. She thinks it was a plan to pass on the power and arrange for to come back to me once I've been cleared."

"Impressive. You figured out exactly what I've been thinking all this time."

"Silena's theory is that once I steal L's title, I would become Kira again."

"Correct."

"Taking on the identity of K having the power to control the police in every country while being Kira in secret. It's ideal. And you are thinking I could do it, no, that I would do it. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"But what about now? I told you I don't want your title. That should prove even to you that I'm not putting on an act, shouldn't it?!"

"If this is all an act and you are trying to steal my identity, there's no chance you would be foolish enough to reveal your plan in front of everyone. Won't you agree?"

"Silena ..."

"Huh?"

"Do you think that I'm actually capable of becoming a murderer, Kira? Even after I help you catch him? Do I seem like that kind of person to you?"

"Yes, you do. I've always thought so." Light then proceeded to punch Silena in the face. Silena, in retaliation, judo flipped him, then pulled out a dagger, pointing it at him.

"Not again!" Soichiro sighed.

"OK! Light! You need to stop getting into fights with our head detectives." Matsuda yelled.

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, let's focus on catching the Kira that's in front of us right now. As long as I have the handcuffs on, you shouldn't have any complaints." Light sighed.

"I suppose so. We only have a month so there's no time to get distracted." K sighed.

"Silena." Soichiro started.

"Yes?" She looked at him.

"We have plenty of footage from this meeting. Can't we use that as evidence against those seven men and prevent the murders of other criminals?" Soichiro put in.

 _Here we go again. People are so naive_. "Unfortunately, no." She declined.

"But why?!" He protested.

"At the moment, we're not certain if Kira is among those seven men. If all they have is a tenuous connection with him, then Kira will kill them as soon as they are arrested. We have to be absolutely sure that Kira is among them so there is no point in detaining them now. And even if he does turn out to be one of them, it would still be quite difficult to determine who the culprit is.

I believe it's still far too early for us to make our move." She explained.

"Hold on. At the same time, we can't say that he is definitely not among the seven. That means there's a chance the killings would stop if we take this opportunity to arrest them!" Soichiro continued.

"I think Dad's right. There is a chance. We have to act on it." Light agreed.

"Excuse me, But I think from now on, I should go after Kira by myself along with Silena. You can use these headquarters as you wish. I'll also be here but we will be working independently. You can conduct your investigation under your own direction. Feel free to arrest those men if you like. I would be carrying on my own investigation. We'll only get into arguments if we don't split up and act separately at this point. This is for the best." L stood up.

"Are you saying you're going to figure out who Kira is by any means necessary?" Soichiro asked.

"Yes. This case will never be solved unless we capture Kira himself. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't say that preventing more deaths is pointless. But if we don't uncover the entire truth once and for all, Kira will only appear again and a number of victims will continue to increase.

That's why I believe it's more important to find out who Kira really is. As I've been saying, I'm opposed to arresting those seven men. If you want to do so, then you'll have to take responsibility for it. I will pursue Kira on my own. We only have one month! I wonder who will succeed." L confirmed.

"What, Ryuzaki, where are you going?" Light asked.

"To Amane's room. Sorry, I know you are on your father's side in all this, but I can't remove these handcuffs. I'm afraid you're gonna have to come on with me." Ryuzaki dragged Light along as K, Mello, Matt, and Near followed closely behind.

"Light! I didn't know we were supposed to have a date! All right, I should have known." Misa exhaled.

"Misa Amane." L got all up in her face.

"Wow!" Light sighed.

"Tell me. Do you love Light from the bottom of your heart?" Near asked.

"Huh? Ah, yeah! Of course I do. Who is this?"

"Ignore that. But you also worship Kira, don't you?" K continued.

"Well, yeah."

"So then, if you had to choose between Light and Kira, who would you pick?" Matt questioned.

"What?! That's obvious! Of course it's gonna be Light! I'm really grateful to Kira, I want to meet him someday in person, but that's not true love. I definitely choose Light."

"But your precious Light is planning to catch Kira. Isn't that right?" Mello inquired.

"Well, yes, of course I am."

"He says he wants to catch Kira. Now, what will you do?"

"Well, if that's what Light says, then I'm gonna support him no matter what."

"I see. So if you were given the opportunity to work with Light on this investigation, would you take the offer?"

"What?! Ryuzaki ...!" Light protested.

"Yeah! Of course I would. I do anything I could to help Light." Misa smiled.

"Wait! Hold on a second. Where are you going with this?" Light yelled.

"I'm planning to have Aiber pose as Elardo Coil again. He'll tell the Yotsuba members that while he was investigating L, he discovered that Misa Amane might know who he is. He'll also tell them that L and K brought her into question about the suspicion that she was the second Kira." Silena decided.

"That part is true." Misa sighed.

"If the Yotsuba Group believes that Misa could be their lead to finding L, then though they said they want to meet her to discuss their advertising campaign, they'll use that opportunity to question her. Thanks to Matsuda's screw up, they may already be considering Misa as their new spokesperson so this could work." Near spoke.

"Yeah, right!" Misa nodded.

"We can't do that." Light protested.

"Why not?" Misa complained.

"This plan is too risky. Who knows what could happen to you?" Light reasoned.

"Would that mean you are worried about me?! Yey! But don't worry, I won't mind doing something like this if it's for you, Light." Misa grinned.

"Listen, Misa. If they suspect that you might know who L really is, we don't know how far they would be willing to go to get that information."

"No problemo! I promise I won't say anything even if they torture me!"

"I can attest that." L and K said together.

"But Kira can control his victim's actions before their death! There is a good chance he might try to manipulate her and reveal what she knows and then kill her! Also, if he does manage to kill L, he won't have any use for Misa. He'll kill her to keep her silent!" Light screamed.

"Ah, I don't like the sound of that." Misa shrugged.

"Light. You forget that if we win against Kira, Misa won't die. Besides, as long as we are handcuffed together, you and I share the same fate. If I die, so will you. If that happens, Misa is the one who would grieve most of all. Either we lose and both die together or we successfully catch Kira. Which is it?!" L pointed out.

"We catch Kira! I would never dream about living in the world without Light." Misa clung to Light's arm.

"Yes, that would be dark." Silena spoke.

"Cut it out! This is just crazy!" Light hollered the detective.

"Shut it. But we're running out of time. And I'm starting to get desperate. As for Misa Amane, I've turned to her because I know her bravery and love for you is boundless." K glared at him.

"Do you really mean it? Oh no, I think I totally misunderstood you all this time. I even called you a pervert. But you actually do understand how I feel, don't you?" Misa smiled.

"Yes! Misa is indisputably the most perfect and worthy woman for Light." L nodded.

"Yey! You such a sweetie! Thank you Ryuzaki!" Misa kissed L's cheek as K drew her knife.

"I could actually fall for you." L muttered with a subtle hint of sarcasm, while K caught and sheathed her dagger.

"Let's not go that far. But you could maybe be a friend of mine. Would that be OK?" Misa asked dimly.

"Yes. So now I've gained yet another friend." L nodded.

"Yeah, of course. Any friend of Light's is a friend of mine as well. Ha ha ha ha ..., let's all be friends together ...! And of course, I would never think of betraying any of my friends. With our powers combined, we'll arrest Kira!" Misa grabbed all of them and spun around in a circle.

"Unfortunately, Light's taking a different investigative approach from us. He'll be working with his father and the others. I'm afraid it would just be you and I." Silena shrugged in mock sadness.

"Huh?! What's about that?!" Misa questioned her 'boyfriend.'

"C'mon K, now you are just playing dirty. You're leaving me with no other choice but to join your ..." Light complained.

"No, that's quite all right." Silena continued.

"What are you talking about? Of course he'll be joining us." Misa rolled her eyes.

"That's not it, either! I've been opposed to this investigation since the beginning! It's too dangerous for her!" Light protested.

"Oh Light, you're so sweet. Thank you for worrying about me. But please let me do this. I want to be useful to you somehow. If I can be useful, then maybe you'll love me even more." Misa smiled.

"And besides, I would gladly die if it were for you, Light." Misa spoke through the screen.

"Arresting seven people is going to be challenging. I don't suppose you two have any ideas, Mogi, Matsuda?" Yagami sighed as the others shook their head.


	23. Performance

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to be meeting every other week, not this often." Higuchi sighed.

"It can't be 've just received a new report from says that Misa Amane might know to Coil, L and K once questioned Amane as part of his Kira investigation. Let's see, here is the says "I've been able to deduce that Amane worships Kira." "At the moment, Yoshida productions is trying to promote Amane as the new face of Yotsuba." "My recommendation is that Yotsuba use her for their next ad campaign and take the opportunity to extract information about L and K." Personally, I don't like the idea. It's unacceptable, if you ask me." Ooi read.

"Oh, really?It seems like a perfectly good plan." Midou countered.

"I don't think that's what Ooi was trying to 's supposed to be Coil's job to investigate L and K's identity. It doesn't make sense for him to leave all the hard work to us, in my opinion." Namikawa reasoned.

"Exactly. We're paying him to uncover L and K's identities, after all." Ooi nodded.

"Why don't we contact Coil and see what he has to say." Kida agreed.

"Yes, that's a good idea." Midou decided.

"Mr. Kida, I thought we agreed before that you'd only call me if it was urgent. So, is it an emergency?" Aiber answered his phone while pouring himself some wine. He then responded, "Yes, I that case, I think I have an even better idea."

"Even after those meetings are over, I have to come home to punish criminals. Being Kira is so time-consuming. But things sure have become more interesting lately. It's pretty clear that Misa Amane was the second Kira and that L must have caught her at some point. The only way she could have got out of that situation is by forfeiting ownership of her Death Note and losing all memories of what she did with it. I'm not about to leave things as they are. I'm going to make Misa Amane my wife. Ha ha ha ha ...! Everything I could ever want: money, power, and a beautiful wife. That'll be enough to make anyone envious. Once we're married, I'll just invest a large sum in her life insurance." Higuchi plotted.

 _She would never marry such a disgusting fool_. Rem thought.

"Rem, make sure you hide the notebook in the usual place." He ordered.

 _Right now, this is the only thing I can do for Misa's sake_. Rem tore a small corner of the page before doing as told.

"All right. Let's try again from the top." L directed.

"Tell me Misa, is it true you once said that you came to Tokyo in order to meet Kira?" Aiber asked.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Misa exclaimed, falling back into her chair.

"Misa, please stop overacting. It looks too cheesy, not to mention the fake." K hit her on the head with a megaphone.

"Huh? But I thought that was a realistic performance." Misa complained.

"Just do it again." L sighed.

"Whatever you say, oh so great director." Misa mocked.

"If you don't get serious about this, I'll shoot you." K warned.

"Hm!" Misa slumped in her chair.

"Ah, Misa-misa?" Mogi started.

"You're not smiling enough, you can just call me Misa, you know." Misa criticized.

 _I'm not cut out for this but it's part of my job, so ..._ "Misa-misa!" 'Mochi' started again.

"Wow, what is it, Mochi?!" Misa asked.

"Today you have an interview with the Yotsuba Group to see if they'll use you in their new ad campaign, but remember this is also an infiltration mission, so stay sharp!" Mogi continued.

'Don't you worry. I already know about that. And of course that means you can't let your cover fall either. You're gonna play the character of the hyper-energetic manager, OK?" Misa said.

"Right!Bring it on!" Mogi cheered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ooi apologized.

"Good morning!I'm Misa-misa's manager, Kenichi Moji, also known as Mochi.I'm very pleased to meet all of you!" Mogi greeted.

"Mr. Ooi, Mr. Shimura, it's so nice to see you again." Misa smiled politely.

"Good luck, Misa-misa!" Mogi grinned.

 _Way to go, Mochi! You are natural._ Misa thought.

"I'll be here ready to celebrate when they decide to hire you!" Mogi spoke. _... I don't think I'm cut out for this._

"Now then, I don't believe you and I have met before, have we, Misa? My name is John Wares, an executive adviser for the advertising department. Nice to meet you." Aiber lied.

"Thank you! I'm very pleased to meet you, too!" Misa acted.

"Well, this might seem a little bit sudden, but I'd like to be honest with you. We've been talking about it, and we've pretty much decided to hire you already. But, before we make it official, I'd like to clarify a few things."

"Yes."

"We've been doing a little background check on you, and according to our sources, a burglar killed your parents during a robbery. You worship Kira because he killed the suspect. Isn't it true that you came to Tokyo in hopes of finding and meeting Kira?"

"Ah ..., what, who did you hear that from?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer information is liable and now I'd say it's look in your face tells me that these are the facts."

 _Huh?Coil, I never thought you'd investigated that far_. Ooi thought.

"Also, you're still hiding something from us, aren't you?Something you prefer the world not to know."

 _OK, here's where I pause and look nervous_. Misa remembered.

"It seems you were detained by the detectives L and K for a short period of time. We'd like you to tell us the full story of what really happened. It would be a problem if the new face of Yotsuba turned out to be Kira."

" would appreciate to it if you are honest with us." Ooi put in.

"All right.I understand. I'll tell you , I was held for questioning. I didn't think it was L and K, but they did ask me lots of questions about Kira. But I'm not the second Kira and I never was. I was released because they realized that I didn't have anything to do with Kira, after all."

"Did you manage to see who it was that was restraining you?" Ooi asked.

"No, I was blindfolded all time."

"But if they asked you questions, surely you heard their voices, right?" Midou questioned.

"Only through a speaker and voice-filter, so ..."

"Come on, what the hell is this anyway? Job interview or police interrogation? How long are we gonna keep this up? I'm going to the bathroom." Higuchi sighed.

"He has a point. It seems the interview veered a little off are very sorry." Midou apologized.

"Excuse me. But, would you mind if I went to the bathroom as well?" Misa excused herself.

"Oh, this is getting , everything's going well so far.I just have to keep it up." Misa complained. Rem snuck up behind her, invisible, and made her touch a piece of the Death Note, revealing herself to the shocked girl. "Huh!Hmmm!"

 _Being touched by this scrap of paper alone will not restore her memories of the Death Note. But at least now Misa can see me once again._ Rem thought as she covered Misa's mouth to prevent her from screaming.

 _Oh, what is this thing?! Some kind of monster?!_ Misa panicked.

"Misa, you're in a dangerous situation right now. There are people within Yotsuba who can easily have you killed. I've come here to warn you. Calm down and listen to me." Rem said gravely.

 _Calm down?! How can I?! This thing looks like it's gonna kill me!_ Misa thrashed.

"Please believe me. I'm your ally."

 _My ally?_

"Well, I wonder if Misa-misa's all we should have wired her or used something to track her movements." Matsuda thought out loud.

 _Just as I thought. The Kira before I was detained and the one it surfaced afterwards; they must be two different people. The aim all clearly doesn't match. This Kira is killing criminals as soon as they've had their crime broadcast on TV regardless of the situation. He's punishing people who never intended to kill; those who sincerely regretted their crimes or people with excusable circumstances. The original Kira would have never punished those kinds of people. That's the sort of distinction I'd make if were him. The way the original Kira acted is disturbingly close to my ideals... Huh! What the hell am I thinking? I'm not 's gotta be wrong with me if I'm seriously comparing myself to that murderer._ Light wondered.

"Light Yagami is Kira. Tell me, what is Light doing at the moment?" Rem revealed.

"Oh. What are you?I mean I can tell you're not a stalker but, but you don't look like a human at all."

"No, of course not. I am a you were captured by L and K, you and I worked closely together."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. You know me? And Light is Kira?"

"The Death Note. It grants its owner the power to kill someone simply by writing that person's name in it. Light Yagami took it upon himself to punish criminals using that notebook. He soon became known to the world as Kira. You also possessed that same power. In fact, your ability was even greater than his. You managed to find Light by using your power to determine that he was in fact Kira."

"Light is Kira and I'm the second Kira?"

"That's right. Or rather, that used to be the case. Light arranged it so you would both lose this power. This was all according to his plan."

 _He did? Then Silena was right!_

"Misa, do you still love Light enough to die for him?"

"Unbelievable. You got to be telling the truth. You already know everything about me. I totally believe you now. And, yes, I do love him to death. Not to mention how amazing it is that Light and I were both Kira, of course I wanna believe something like that. I only wish I could remember it!"

"You haven't changed, Misa. And it seems your feelings for Light will never change, either. It's enough to convince me that the only way you can be truly happy in life is if you can support him in his plan."

"Thank you, Shinigami."

"It's current Kira is a violent pathetic human being. I don't know what he's capable of. Be careful and beware the others from Yotsuba. Trust Light. Let him do whatever he feels necessary."

"OK, I got it. I guess I should just act normally in the meantime though, right?"

"That's right. When you go back to the interview, you will be able to see for yourself who the real Kira is. Be on your guard and do not trust him."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. It took so long. I was just fixing up my makeup a little." Misa lied. _Listen, when you return, I will be in the man sitting in front of me will be Kira._ She recalled what Rem had told her as she scanned the room. _The person in front of you is Kira... Higuchi is Kira?! That bastard!_

"Misa-misa sure is late... Oh, they're back!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Hey! Oh, I'm exhausted." Misa sighed.

"How did it go?" Silena asked, not interested.

"Yotsuba agreed to hire Misa on as their spokesperson for the new ad campaign." Mogi reported.

"I see. That's good to hear." Ryuzaki nodded.

"And I made sure to give them my cell phone number. Would you believe three out of the seven guys already message me asking for a private date." Misa exclaimed

"What?" Matsuda gasped.

"So now I accept their invitations and then investigate them, right? Oh it's going exactly as I planned." Misa grinned.

"No. The plan's getting canceled right now." Light demanded.

"Huh? But why? Everything's been going so smoothly up until now." Misa complained.

"If we go any further, you'll be in danger. You can still appear in their commercials. But from now on, you should deny that you were suspected of being the second Kira and thus detained by L. Mogi will continue being your bodyguard, but you'll be working thoroughly as a celebrity." Light countered.

"If that's what you want, Light, then that's what I'll do." Misa decided.

"Hm."

"Well, I'm feeling pretty tired. Tomorrow shoot is bright and early, so I better get some sleep." Misa excused herself. _Thank you are so sweet to be worried about me. But I've thought of the best plan ever. I'm gonna be useful to you. I promise._ "Hey Light, wanna come sleep with me tonight?"

"What, what are you talking about?" Light said, shocked.

"Just kidding!You'll save me for after we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it." Misa laughed.

"Yes, 's no need to be shy." Silena laughed, amused.

"I'm not being shy!" Light declared.

"No need to be so serious, either."

"Cut! Ok, that's a wrap!" The director shouted.

"Good work, everyone!" Misa smiled.

"Great job, Misa-misa!" Mogi complimented

"Thanks, Mochi. Can you take me to the restroom in that hospital?" Misa requested.

"No problem!I'll be waiting!"

"I'll be sure not to take too long, OK?"

Misa knocked on a specific door.

"Yes? Misa! You actually made it." A girl greeted.

"Nori!You look so cute in that nurse's outfit!"

"You really think so?"

"Huh, that went well." Misa walked out, wearing the nurse's outfit. As red sports car pulled up in front of her as she exclaimed, "Oh, what an amazing car!"

"If you like it, I'll give you a ride anytime or buy you one of your own. By the way, lovely in that nurse's outfit, Misa." Higuchi complimented.

"I'm glad you like it."

"That took a while... Where is Misa?!" Mogi screamed.

"Ah, she's on a date." Nori shrugged.

"You gotta be kidding!" Mogi exclaimed.

 _Kyosuke Higuchi. This sleazy pervert; he's been sending me text messages ever since that party. He's been even more persistent than any of the other guys. He is Kira, it can't get any worse than that_. Misa thought.

"Hey Misa, how about we grab a bite to eat." He offered.

"Are you planning to take me somewhere and do pervy things to me? Well, even if you were, that's OK. I'll be fine since I can kill people."

 _What are you saying, Misa? Is this part of Light Yagami's plan? Is this what he wants you to do? Or is this your way of telling me that you want me to kill Higuchi the moment he tries to do anything?_ Rem thought.

"C'mon, you're just kidding with me, aren't you, Misa? You can kill people?" Higuchi laughed.

"Yep! It's true! And do you know why? Because I'm the second Kira." Misa improvised.

 _Huh? That can't be! Even if she was the second Kira before, there's no way she still is. She's not supposed to have any memory of it, either. What the hell is going on?_ He thought frantically. "Ha ha ha, Misa, you don't have to make up stuff like that to feel safe with me. I'm sure you'll find that I'm quite a gentleman."

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I'll only prove that I'm the second Kira to the real Kira."

"You'll only show proof to Kira?Why?"

"I'd show him because it's always been my dream to become Kira's wife. I know he'll need me by his side once I tell him."

 _If she really is the second Kira, then it's pretty clear from the Sakura TV incident that she has the Shinigami eyes. If that's the case, I need to make sure I keep this girl by my side at all costs.I've gotta test it first._ "Ha ha ha!Well, since I happened to be Kira, does that mean you'll marry me?"

"... Really?!"

"Ha, yeah. I mean it."

"What?! Then prove it to me! C'mon, let's prove it to each other!"

"I can't do that. It would be a pretty bad idea to let someone witness how I kill people."

"You think so? I don't know. If I thought someone was Kira, I think I'd be willing to show them. We'd never get anywhere if I didn't."

"Ha! Then why don't you kill someone? After all, I could be the real Kira."

"All right, but I'll only kill bad people, OK?"

"That's right. Bad person, huh? This is Ginzo Kaneboshi, president of a major finance company. He's infamous for his immoral collection method, sometimes he even makes people pay with their insurance money. How about him?"

"Would you be able to confirm his death right away?"

"Yeah, as soon as I call him."

"OK, you turn around for just a sec?"

 _Misa, you want me to kill Ginzo Kaneboshi, don't you? Then Higuchi will believe your claim about being the second well_. Rem decided.

"All should be dead by now." Misa announced.

"Hello, this is Higuchi from Yotsuba."

"Sorry, our president just collapsed and stopped breathing! Call back later!" The secretary panicked.

"Told ya!"

 _She killed him! The same guy I chose just a minute ago! Would have been impossible to do that unless she had the power! This proves it!_ "So if I'm Kira, you'll marry me, right?!"

"Well, hey, why are you getting so serious all of a sudden?"

"Because I'm Kira."

Misa discreetly pressed record on her phone. "Then prove it."

"I'm not gonna be able to kill until I get home. You understand?!"

"Oh, well, that's no good then. For all I know, you're just making all this up and you have an excuse to take me to your !I know. What if you stop killing the criminals on TV?! That should prove it! If you are Kira, it should be no problem. You can start killing again when I tell you all the times and deaths match up, then I'll believe you. After all, killing criminals in that way is something that only Kira can do."

"I see what you mean. That's a good right, Misa."

"I'm Kira so in order to make you trust me I'll prove that I'm him. I'll stop killing criminals for the time being, then once you are fully convinced I'm a real thing, you and I get married." The recording played.

"And so, based on what he said, Higuchi is Kira!" Misa announced.

"Now we not only know Kira's identity but all those deaths that were worrying the chief are gonna stop! That's amazing, Misa-misa!" Matsuda congratulated.


	24. Guidance

"Then once you are fully convinced I'm the real thing, you and I can get married." The recording played.

"And so, based on what he said, Higuchi is Kira!" Misa declared.

If the killing of criminals stops now, then there is no doubt that Higuchi is the one with Kira's , I knew Amane would do almost anything for Light, but do you think that she would actually go this far? If criminals do stop dying after this, it will make it difficult to determine the critical element; how Kira conducts his murders. I have to think of a plan. Silena thought.

"Misa, how did you get Higuchi to confess?" Light asked.

"Easy. That guy's totally in love with me. All I had to do was tell him I'd marry him if he was really Kira. Plus I managed to convince him that I am the second Kira." She explained simply.

If I didn't say this now, I'd probably end up contradicting my story later.

"Misa!You idiot!Didn't I tell you to deny all that?!" Light scolded.

"But, but now we know Higuchi is Kira, right?So what's the problem? Can't we just catch him?" Misa complained.

"I suppose this is what you would call a victory, right, Matsuda?" L asked.

"But right now we still don't know exactly how he kills his victims, do we?" Light reasoned.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking. Before we move to arrest Higuchi, I want to find out how he kills people." Silena nodded.

"After criminals stop dying, we will be able to figure it out, unless welcome up with another idea. Isn't that right?" Light said.

"Yes. At any rate, even if we do arrest Higuchi, we're not going to do it until we are certain that criminals have stopped dying. Let me think about this for a moment." Ryuzaki agreed. "Wedy."

"Yeah." Wedy responded.

"An update on the current situation, please."

"Everything's going smoothly. We should be able to track 70% of their movements using our cameras inside the office building."

"What about outside the office?"

"That's not gonna be possible with just Watari and me."

"What if you focus only on Higuchi?"

"Higuchi? I've only been able to enter the houses of five of the men so far. But Midou, Namikawa and Higuchi, all have super high-tech security systems, especially Higuchi. He recently constructed a dampening room that shuts out any electronic waves. It took me two days just to break into the place."

"This guy sure does sound suspicious." Matsuda spoke.

"Hm." Yagami thoughgt.

"All right. Then begin installing microphones, trackers, and cameras, but not in the house. Instead just put them in every car." Silena instructed.

"What?! After getting this far?! Do you know how difficult it is to break into someone's house?! Besides, do you have any idea of how many cars this guy has?"

"He only has six. Plus, you were complaining about it being too easy."

"Fine then.I just have to install them in all his cars, right?"

"Yes, thank you."

Oh, if Higuchi had been bugged earlier, I would have been in big trouble. Misa thought.

"Light, I'm sorry to keep coming back to this topic, I'll just get right to the point." L started.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember killing anyone, I mean?"

"Huh?! Are you still going on about that?! Look, I'm not Kira! How many times do I ..."

"I just want you to answer the question. Well, do you remember?"

"... No, I don't."

"Misa, what about you?" K bursted out.

"I don't could I?!Cause I'm not Kira!"

"Hm, look Light, please listen to what I'm about to say. I'd like you to thoroughly analyze my current theory. This could determine the way in which we'd end up catching Kira." She spoke along with L. "Light Yagami used to be Kira. Kira's power has somehow passed onto another Yagami now has no memory of ever being Kira. I need your analysis based on these assumptions. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"... Yeah, I'll give it a try."

"Light Yagami used to be Kira. Kira's power has somehow passed onto another person. Was that because Light Yagami, who wanted it to happen, or was there someone else in control of Light, lurking in the background, who gave him the power? Was it that person who passed Light's power to someone else?"

"... Given your premise, it would be my will."

"... Yes, of there is a third party with the ability to bestow or transfer Kira's power and they didn't want their method to be discovered, it makes no sense that they would wait so long to transfer it from you to the next Kira. If we believed that this was the work of some being watching us from above, then we'd have to accept that they are impossible to catch. Not to mention, I'd already be dead. Or at the very least, I'm being made to be a fool by eternally dancing in the palm of someone's hand. It's highly unlikely that such a being exists."

Even if Light Yagami was Kira ... L and K thought.

"Kira's power can only be transferred by the will of the person who possesses it. Thank you, Light. I can now say that I feel 99% better than before." L thanked. "We'll create a situation where Higuchi will not be able to pass on his power to anyone else. We'll have him show us how he kills."

"So, what are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to trick Higuchi using Sakura TV." Silena explained.

"Like a "hidden camera show!"" Matsuda exclaimed.

"What?!" Misa asked.

"We'll use the Kira Special that Demegawa airs every 'll book a three-hour time 'll be announced that Kira's identity will be revealed near the end of the special." L clarified.

"Would anyone actually buy that, though? This is Sakura TV, after all. For all we know, Higuchi may not even watch that program." Matsuda pointed out.

"We'll get Namikawa to call him and say "This is on your TV." That should be enough to get him watching. Higuchi will buy it once he realizes that the special guest on TV is someone who knows his secret." Silena continued.

"Oh, I get it! So we'll be using Aiber then. He will reveal that he was a spy all along!"

"No, I'm afraid you are incorrect. We will not be using Aiber. Whoever appears on the show has to be someone who Higuchi believes he'll be able to kill. In other words, it has to be someone whose name he can look up easily."

"But we're never gonna find a person like that, are we?"

"You are the only one who can do it." Light realized.

"Matsu!" Misa cheered.

"Matsuda." Soichiro muttered.

"Higuchi probably thinks that you were listening in on their meeting and overheard their plans to kill people. It would make sense that Misa's manager who he thought was dead is the one revealing the secret." Light pointed out.

"That's right. We'll have Sakura TV use a voice-filter and a frosted glass to protect your identity. Higuchi would probably realize from the announcement and the silhouette that it's the manager, Taro Matsui. And just to make sure we will have the studio messed up to accidentally reveal your face from behind the frosted glass." L agreed.

"Whoa! Sounds exciting!" Misa exclaimed.

"Until the show ends, the announcer will keep saying they will reveal the full name of whoever is acting as Kira." K continued.

"Higuchi would feel cornered. He'd have no choice but to find out the manager's name as soon as possible. We can anticipate what actions he'll take." Light nodded.

"Now I'm thinking that my Psychology Degree wasn't useless." Silena sighed.

"We'll witness his killing that, we'll arrest him. And there is one potential problem with this plan. If Higuchi can kill by simply looking at someone's face just like the second Kira, Matsuda will die." L calculated.

"Ah!" Matsuda gasped.

"But, considering the fact that you are still alive and how he's pursuing Misa, I doubt that's the case." Light comforted him.

"At any rate, we're only going to do this once criminals stop dying. We'll have to wait for two or three days to see whether or not that happens. In the meantime, Matsuda will have to decide if he wants to go through with this plan." K finished.

"... I don't need two or three days to decide. I want to do this." Matsuda decided.

"Well, I'm here. What's with this private meeting?" Namikawa asked.

"Namikawa, tell me. Who do you think is Kira?" Shimura questioned.

"Why do you wanna know what I'd think? Besides, for all I know, it could be you, Shimura. Or maybe even Midou." He replied.

"Shimura can't be Kira. He was the one who came crying to me about how he can't go along with Kira's crimes anymore." Midou shook his head.

"Really? But if Midou had turned out to be Kira, you would have been killed."

" and Midou would have been successful on your own. There is no way either of you would need to hold those stupid meetings, let alone with seven others. I can at least see that much. We're all cooperating with these killings because we are afraid of Kira turning on us. I mean it's only a matter of time until the public finds out. And this isn't going to stop until that happens."

"So Shimura, let me ask you then. Who do you think Kira might be?"

"Takahashi or Higuchi."

"No, Takahashi is just a decoy. Kira would make sure there are people less clever than him."

"Huh, well then, it looks like we all know the truth already. It's Higuchi, isn't it?"

"Yes. He is the one who's the most obsessed with money and success. He might always act as if he's not interested in those things, but that just proves it all the more."

"And he always insults everyone around him, and can't use his people well. I believe that's why he was demoted from being head of the development department. By the way, I meant to ask, was I the only one you invited here?"

"I also invited Ooi, but he said, "You can hold your stupid private meetings by yourself." Go figure."

"Ha! Good old Ooi, always the blunt one."

"We can also rule out Kida as a possible suspect as he was the one who provided the account for funds in order to commission Coil."

"Namikawa, during that first meeting after Hatori died, you got a call on your cell phone. I was wondering who it was from."

"Huh! You know, Shimura, you really are a sharp one. Kira provably selected you, because he appreciates your caution." Namikawa said as his cell phone rang. "Namikawa speaking."

"It's L. Before I go on, are you by yourself?" Light faked.

"No."

"Then just act like it's a normal call again."

"I don't think there's any need for that. One of the people here with me was just expressing his suspicions about your last phone call."

"Who is that on the line, Namikawa?" Shimura asked curiously.

"It's L." Namikawa replied.

"Huh!"

"L, Midou and Shimura are here as well. I'm reasonably certain that neither of them are Kira. In fact, they seem fed up with it at this point. I'll speak for them and say they'll choose to stand back and watch your face-off with Kira, like I plan to."

"That's fine." Mello, and Near blurted out.

"Tonight, I'm gonna catch Kira, but I'll need a favor from you." Light continued.

"Hm. Then it's the end for Higuchi." Namikawa nodded.

"What? You know that it's him?" Light exclaimed as the top two detectives and their successors sighed in exasperation at his mistake.

"Ha! So even the great L can be tricked. Based on your reaction I'm now a hundred percent certain that Higuchi is Kira." Namikawa gloated.

"Namikawa is pretty smart, huh. But then, I always thought he was from looking at his face. I guess this proves it." Misa thought out loud.

"No. That was just because Light messed up." K taunted.

"I'm bating Higuchi with the Stage TV Special Tonight, Sakura TV. A few minutes into the program, I want you to contact Higuchi, tell him to tune in. Do that for me, and I won't go after you or any of the other five. As for the others; Kida, Takahashi and Ooi, if they tried to do anything, make sure to stop them." Light ignored her.

"All right, I understand." Namikawa nodded and hung up. "It seems it really was Higuchi. He'll be captured tonight apparently."

"Ha ha ha! It's been about three days since I stopped killing criminals. That should be good enough, shouldn't it? Now, when I marry Misa Amane, the second Kira, I'll have the Shinigami eyes. With that power in my hands, Yotsuba will be under my control. Ha ha ha ha ha!" Higuchi laughed as his cell rang.

"Higuchi, we've got a problem. Turn on a television. Check out Sakura TV." Namikawa called.

"Hm?!" Higuchi clicked on the television.

"So you are saying one of those people is Kira, right?" The reporter interviewed.

"Yes. I've got a more evidence to prove it, too." Matsuda answered.

"What the hell is this? C'mon, it's probably a is Sakura TV." Higuchi laughed off.

"No, it's more than that. At the beginning of the show, he said that he overheard a meeting between eight people." Namikawa continued.

What?! Someone who knows about the meetings?! Who is it, did someone betray us?! Higuchi thought.

"Then, one of them was killed by Kira and now there are only seven left. The man who died was Mr. H." Matsuda said.

Mr. H? Hatori! If he knows this much, he could be one of the other six. No, maybe it's Coil.

"Mr. H wanted to leave the meetings and was killed by Kira because of that."

No, it can't be any of the others. There is no benefit for them to do this. But no one else knows about the meetings, do they? Damn it! Who is it?! What, wait, could it be ...

"Woah!" The frosted glass shattered as a ceiling light fell, revealing Matsuda.

"It's, it's him! It's Misa's manager. Matsui, that's his name?! Why is he still alive?!" Higuchi screamed.

"He explained earlier that he thought he was going to be killed. He pretended to fall out of the apartment window and escaped to a balcony of a few floors below." Namikawa responded.

But that can't be! Just to be careful, I went home that night and wrote his name in that notebook like he was written on his business card. Why is he still alive then?! Could he be a former entertainer who became a manager using a stage name?! Is that possible?! Higuchi thought.

"After that worked that enough, he said that he continued to investigate Yotsuba up until now and he's figured out which one of us is Kira. I'm contacting everyone right now to let them know." Namikawa finished.

"All right. We'll talk later." Higuchi hung up.

"Oh, sir, we are terribly sorry for that accident. Are you alright? We can stop if you want." The MC concerned.

"No. I knew I was gonna be in danger going into this. This is for a sake of justice. So I'll see through till the end even if it means my death." Matsuda said.

"Yeah. That's perfect! Listen, just be sure to hold up on the Kira announcement till the last minute, alright?" Demegawa commanded.

I have to kill him! Calm down. Misa knows his face. Or she is the second Kira, she should know what his real name is. Higuchi thought.

"It's him." Misa announced.

"Oh, what the hell?!" Higuchi complained.

"To be honest, I have been debating for a long time whether or not I should make this announcement, but now that I'm here I know I've done the right thing in coming forward." Matsuda talked.

"This is bad. Who knows when they make the announcement." Higuchi muttered nervously.

"We'll take you a commercial ... Kira's identity will be announced soon!" The MC concluded.

"Cosme Misa, a devilish charm, an angel's glitter. Misa's new lineup lipstick. Just for you." The commercial advertised.

"Midou, it's me. Are you watching Sakura TV? Why don't you call your father at the House of Councilors? Have him pull some strings at the Ministry of Internal Affairs to stop this broadcast!" Higuchi called.

"I'm watching but I don't think we could stop it. No one believes this program so we'd only make ourselves look suspicious if we stop it. Besides, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. The guy revealed his face earlier. Everyone knows it's really Taro Matsui. Namikawa's already gone ahead and told everyone to watch the show. Since one of us seven has to be Kira, that should mean Taro Matsui will soon be dead, right?" Midou asked.

Of course I'm the only one who knows or even suspects that "Taro Matsui" isn't his real name. That means if I say anything, it'll reveal the fact that I'm Kira. "Yeah, that's true. I'll talk to you later." Higuchi hung up.

"Stay tuned to Sakura TV."

"Damn it!"

"Silena, Ryuzaki, Mogi is in position in front of Yoshida productions. He just received a call from Higuchi." Watari reported.

"Yes, it's time for phase 2. Everything's as planned." K yelled at everyone from across the room.

"Moji! Where is Misa?!" Higuchi asked.

"Oh, Mr. Higuchi! Pleasure to hear from you. I'm sorry but Misa-misa's taking a much needed vacation right now. She should be back by all tomorrow morning, though. You can reach her then!"

"I'm asking you where she is now!"

"Well, that's private information. She's requested that no one know where she is. I'm very sorry. I'll have her contact you tomorrow first thing."

Damn! I know his face! I could kill him at anytime if only I knew his name! "Do you know if Misa's former manager was an entertainer at some point?"

"Come again?"

"I'm talking about Taro Matsui!"

"Oh! I was only recently hired so I don't know much about him. If you need some information, I can let you talk to someone from the office. I just remembered, everyone's in Okinawa at the moment! You can try calling the president, though."

"This is going exactly as I planned. It's almost scary." Light commented.

"You shouldn't be scared by it. You should be happy." L said.

"I'm patching you into Higuchi's call with the president of Yoshida productions." Watari reported.

"This is Higuchi from Yotsuba. That manager's real name isn't Taro Matsui, is it?" Higuchi requested.

"He's not even pretending to hide what he's asking about now, is he? Stupid Higuchi." Misa laughed.

"Maybe he's acting like that. It proves he's beginning to panic." Near noted.

"Ah, no, where I recall? I think he was just manager." The president of the company replied.

"Then, what was his real name?!"

"I think it was Yamada, no, wait, Yamashita. And his first name was, eh, I'm sorry, I can't remember."

"Don't screw with me! Why the hell can't you remember the names of the people you hire?!"

"All right. No need for that kind of language. I've got his personnel file back the office."

"Then go back there and get it!"

"You gotta be kidding me. Give me a break. We're on a first company vacation in two years! If you wanna know that badly, I'll give you the pin code for the office lock. You can go in yourself and look it up. How's that? The personnel files are in the desk at the back to left. You'll find the files in the bottom drawer. They should all be sorted alphabetically. But I'm pretty sure it was Yamashita."

If they are going to announce it at the end of the program, that means I have two hours!

"So, what's he gonna do?" Misa asked.

"I see Higuchi. He's only carrying a single bag. I'm in pursuit." Wedy reported.

"Everything's still going according to plan." Light smiled.

"Yes." Matt nodded.

I'll kill. I'll kill him no matter what. I've come this far. I won't let them stop me. I'm not giving up until I have everything! Ha ha ha ha ha! Higuchi glared.


	25. Frenzy

"Cosme Misa. A devilish charm, an angel's glitter. Misa's new lineup lipstick. Just for you." The commercial ran.

"Ryuzaki, the commercial is almost over." Light told him.

"Oh, is that so?" L said, eating a banana.

"Next thing you know, I'm in a hotel and drinking with all eight of them." Matsuda continued.

"Oh, well, that's rather amusing."

"But if I give you any more details, I'm afraid that people who were there that night would realize which one of them is Kira. So I think I'd better leave it at that for now."

"Of course. Please take your time to tell us all the details of your ordeal to find Kira."

"Hm." K thought. "Light, please put Higuchi's car on audio channel 1 and Sakura TV on channel 2."

"As expected, Higuchi's watching every minute of this from his car." Light reported.

"And so, according to you, it was actually at that party that you met Kira."

"Yes. But of course at that time I had no way of knowing he was actually Kira."

"So that means he saw your face. This is incredible. I think it's amazingly courageous of you to step forward to appear on this program. Are you sure you are OK with it?"

"Yes. After thoroughly investigating him, I found that there are two things Kira has to have in order to kill someone. There are rumors on TV aired and the internet what those two things might be, but I know the truth."

 _A name and a face!_

"And Kira only knows one of those two things about me. So that means I should be safe."

 _So he is saying he feels safe enough to step forward just because I don't know his real name. Wait a minute, does that mean there's nothing left that can connect me to his name? Maybe he's already destroyed his file at Yoshida. Am I wasting my time?_ Higuchi thought. "Rem, what do you think?"

"What do I think? About what, may I ask?" Rem asked.

"Rem ... who's that? There is no one else in that car, right? It's impossible for someone to be hiding without us knowing. He isn't using his cell phone. Could it be a hidden radio?" Light asked.

"No, there aren't any radios or other devices. Only the bugs, cameras, and trackers that Wedy placed. I have no doubt that she did a thorough job." Mello noted.

"Do you think I'll get to Yoshida productions only to find his file isn't there?" Higuchi questioned.

"Is he talking to himself?" Light inquired.

"Why ask my opinion? I don't see how I'm supposed to know something like that." Rem pointed out.

"If this guy was smart, he would destroy everything that connects with his real name before he appeared on TV. And don't you think it's a little too reckless for Yoshida productions to just let me into their offices and supervise? Oh, maybe not. If there was a robbery, they'd figure it out right away who did it since I know where the key is." Higuchi realized.

"This isn't sounding very good." Misa muttered.

"He'll still go there. Don't you worry." Silena assured.

"Even if he does have a file at Yoshida, it could be just another alias. Damn it! I wouldn't put it past this guy to do something like that. No wonder he's confident." Higuchi cursed.

 _It must be Light and Misa's plan to have Higuchi go to Yoshida productions. If that's the case ..._

"That may be true but if he knows that you are Kira, he's going to announce your name in public.

That's inescapable fact." Rem said.

"Alright. There is only one hour left until the big announcement." The MC reported.

"Your only option is to go. If the name on his file is false, that'll be unfortunate. But if it isn't, you can kill him discreetly with the notebook." Rem advised.

"Yeah, I already know that much myself. But just to be on the safe side, I should also kill the people I contacted at that Yoshida productions. That includes the president, Misa, and that manager of hers." Higuchi plotted.

"What?! No way. He's gonna kill me?" exclaimed Misa.

"It's all right. Don't worry. He's talking about doing that after he's killed Matsuda. There'll be no point in killing the rest of you until he's gotten rid of the main threat." Near calmed her down.

"That's true, but still ..." Light trailed off.

"Don't be reckless. He's the only one you have to kill. If the people you called end up dying too, the phone records would implicate you and their deaths." Rem countered.

"Oh, yeah. Rem, I didn't think you were so smart. Then I'll make them all erase their call histories before they die." Higuchi nodded.

"But the telephone company will still have a record of the calls."

"There is no way he can just be talking to himself! But, who's Rem?! Who is he talking to?!" Light demanded.

"If he is talking with someone right now, it could be ... a Shinigami." L speculated.

"Mm." Misa straightened as Ryuzaki guessed correctly.

" ... Perhaps." K agreed.

 _I should just go ahead and ask him._ "How about giving up ownership of the notebook and returning it to me?" Rem offered.

"No. I'd end up being ruined if I did that. Even if I forgot the notebook, this guy says he has concrete evidence to back him up. If he points out Yotsuba's recent growth on the air, no one would ever doubt his claims. They'd believe whatever he said. That means whoever he says is Kira will be marked as Kira! Even if he didn't have proof then and I got rid of the evidence by returning the notebook, my life would be over. I wouldn't get promoted. I wouldn't even be able to stay with Yotsuba." argued Higuchi.

"Of course Sakura TV has broadcast the show under the premise that right now, as we speak, Kira is watching this program." The MC said.

"In that case, I'll take this chance to call out to him. Kira! Please, turn yourself in!" Matsuda pleaded.

"This guy is acting like a complete idiot. Still he was smart enough to fake his own death to avoid being killed. I have to kill him as soon as possible." Higuchi murmured.

"He has arrived at the Yoshida productions." Light commented.

"The show is about to begin." Silena smiled.

"Turn left once I come in, desk at the very back, very bottom drawer." Higuchi remembered.

"Now Kira, how do you kill? Show me." Ryuzaki muttered.

"We are in position and ready to take him now. We'll move on your command." Mogi reported.

"Right." Silena confirmed.

"He's not doing it! He just made a note of his name before leaving. So, he's not gonna kill him here?" Light asked.

"Ryuzaki, do you wanna us to apprehend him?" Mogi questioned.

"Negative. We still don't know how he kills. Perhaps he's planning to do something once he's back in the car. Let's see camera 1, again." Ryuzaki commanded.

"Huh, it's weird. You'd think he'd be desperate to kill Matsuda this very second, but he's calm." Light commented while Higuchi sat in his car.

"It is strange. If all he needed was the name, then he should've simply taken the personnel file with him. But he just put it back in the drawer after taking the note." K shrugged.

 _36, 37, 38, 39, 40 seconds._ Higuchi counted mentally.

"Kira is a cold-blooded murderer. I can't forgive him for what he's done." Matsuda stated.

"Ah! Damn! He didn't die!" Higuchi screamed in frustration.

"What, what's he talking about? He said, 'He didn't die.'" Light asked.

 _Did he already try to kill Matsuda? Was writing his name down all he had to do or was it ...?_ L thought

"What'll we do now? Should we just continue watching what he's doing? What if he can cause a death by just imagining it?" Light wondered.

 _I don't understand what's going on. I still can't figure out how he kills people. But even if we restrain him now and try to get him to confess ..._ K calculated.

"Only 15 minutes to go until the big Kira announcement!"

"Ah! I don't have any time!" yelled Higuchi.

"He's making a phone call." Light observed.

"It's probably Misa again." L predicted.

"Yep! Hm!" She hung up on him.

 _Ahhhhhh! Er, all right, calm down. I already know his face. If I go back to company HQ, there should be surveillance videos from when he snuck in. If I had the Shinigami eyes, half my remaining life span, huh, that's a lot. But if he makes that announcement, my life is as good as over anyway. Better to have a life that's short and sweet_. Higuchi justified. "Rem, let's make the deal."

"The deal? Who is this Rem person he keeps talking to? Could it really be that Kira's power comes from another world or some being?" Light questioned.

"I really don't wanna think that's the case." Silena sighed.

"Then, what is this Rem?" Light demanded.

"A Shinigami? Whatever it is, we need to keep watching him. We'll learn nothing if we take him now. We may still be able to find out how he kills." She answered.

 _With these eyes, I'm invincible! I have more than the enough options now_. Higuchi grinned.

"We're heading after him!" Mogi spoke.

"You in the red car! Pull over to the side of the road, now!" A patrol officer shouted.

"This is bad. Higuchi's been pulled over by a traffic cop. I'm gonna have to pass him and leave the pursuit to Aiber's team." Wedy sighed.

"You were speeding. License please." The officer said.

"Yeah, no problem." Higuchi grabbed his bag.

"Switch on screens to Higuchi's car." L ordered.

"Let's see, where did I put it?" Higuchi reached in his bag, writing the cop's name in the Death Note. _Ah, this'll take care of him._

"Hey!" The officer yelled at Higuchi as he sped off.

"Higuchi ditched the cop! He's driving away." Mogi reported.

"What a bastard. This is traffic control squad ... um!" The cop chased after him.

"That motorcycle cop just rear-ended a truck. He's dead!" Mogi yelled.

"He's dead?! By accident?!" Light exclaimed.

"This is very bad." K sighed. _All he did was put his hand in his bag. Could he've done something at that moment? More importantly, how was he able to obtain the name of the cop who stopped him? Does he only need a face like the second Kira?_

"Rem, a deal ..." Light muttered.

 _No, if he had the power to kill just by looking at someone's face, he would have already killed Matsuda by now. What's going on? Unless ..._ L thought.

"EVERYONE! It's too dangerous to allow further action by Higuchi ! Let's bring him in! I believe he has the same power as the second Kira. He is able to kill just by looking at someone's face. Please keep this in mind when you move in to arrest him!" K yelled at the team. "Watari, connect me to the director of the NPA."

"Yes." Watari connected the call quickly.

"This is K. We are now aware of Kira's true identity. He's currently heading from Hibiya to Shibuya along highway route 1 in a red sports car. Our group will be handling the arrest in a meantime. Please instruct all officers to refrain from approaching his car." She instructed.

"Alright, Dad, during the next commercial take measure 7." Light told his father.

" , during the next commercial breaks, swap Matsuda and the MC with manikins. We'll make it seem as if the broadcast is continuing as normal using the voices we've already prepared. We'll leave the cameras running and have everyone evacuate the building."

"So then, boys. Let's say we go and join the fun as well?" K smiled.

"Yeah." Light nodded.

"Hm?" Misa looked up.

"I'm sorry to do this, Misa. But I'm going have to make sure you are restrained for a while." L sighed.

"What?! But that's ... Stop joking around!" Misa screamed indignantly as Silena laughed.

"I didn't realize you could pilot a helicopter. That's incredible." Light said impressed.

"Well, you can figure it out by intuition." L shrugged, getting in the pilot's seat while Watari and Silena were setting up a pair of snipers.

"Hm? Higuchi isn't going to Sakura TV. He's headed the wrong way." Light pointed out.

"Based on his route, I'd guess he's going to the Yotsuba main office."

"You've been outstandingly brave." The interviewer complimented.

"No. I'm just doing what anyone would do." Matsuda sighed.

"If I go to the main office and find a surveillance video with him on it, I can kill him." Higuchi plotted.

"Wedy. Have you removed absolutely everything relating to Matsuda at the Yotsuba headquarters?" L asked.

"Yeah. Why? Is he headed there now? Huh, isn't it convenient. That should give me more than enough time to go ahead and meet up with Mr. Yagami to set up the ambush."

"What the hell? I can't find him! This is the right tape. Someone must have erased it! Come back and erased them himself somehow? Or someone from the group betrayed me and started working with him? No. Doing that will not acquit them of their crimes. Who cares? I'm outa time! Gotta hurry!" Higuchi yelled.

"We are quickly approaching the time for the announcement. How are you feeling?"

"I feel ready for this. I really want to reveal it now."

"Yes, I understand. But let's cut to a quick commercial break first."

"Damn it! I just have to go to Sakura TV and kill him there." Higuchi decided.

"Dad, Higuchi's left Yotsuba. He's on his way to Sakura TV. He'll be there in less than 15 minutes. Are you ready?"

"I don't need my son asking if I'm ready. Of course I am."

"Is there anything more you'd like to add before the announcement?"

"Well, I want everyone to think hard about Kira after he's caught. People have to realize that Kira ..."

"You ready, Mr. Yagami? It's almost time." Wedy said.

"I know."

"Here. Aiber hates using guns. Right now, I'm the only one armed. Take it."

"I can't take this. I'm no longer a police officer. Japanese law forbids civilians from having guns. That means you shouldn't be using one, either."

"I guess you're stubborn as always, huh?"

 _Yeah, I made it in time. Hm? Why isn't anybody here? Is it just in case the announcement is true and Kira decides to retaliate? That still makes my job easier._ Higuchi gloated.

"We've arrived at Sakura TV. We're moving into the position. Let's go, Aiber!" Mogi ran into the building.

"OK, Mogi." Aiber followed him.

"Right now, we're being flooded with phone-calls and faxes showing support for your courage and strength and demanding that Kira's identity be revealed right away."

 _Huh? Even the studio's deserted. Still I gotta be careful where the cameras are. I can't let myself be seen._

"... under control, we will now end this broadcast."

 _What?! Dummies! This can't be!_

"Higuchi! Hold it right there!" Yagami commanded.

"Don't move! I'd give up if I were you." Wedy said.

"You, you must be making some kind of mistake. I'm only here to meet with Mr. Demegawa and discuss something with him." Higuchi lied. _They're wearing tinted helmets. They must be taking precautions against Kira. In that case ..._ "I'm with the Yotsuba group from the development department. Let me show you my business card. ... Ha!" He pulled a pistol from his briefcase and pulled the trigger.

"Argh!" Yagami fell backwards as the bullet pierced his flesh.

"No, Chief!" Mogi rushed forward.

"Aiber!" Wedy threw a gun at him.

"Damn it! I didn't want to have to use one of these but ..."

"L, Higuchi has a gun on him. The chief's been shot! Higuchi is escaping!" Mogi warned.

"I'm alright. Sorry, Ryuzaki. If we pursue him right now, we can still catch him. Hurry!" Yagami apologized.

"This is bad. He's escaping from Sakura TV." Light reported.

"This leaves us no choice. We'll have to move in and apprehend him. Watari, and Silena are you ready?" L asked.

"Yes."

"Light, I think you should hold onto this for self-defense. This is Kira we are after." L offered him a gun.

"No, thanks. Firearms aren't allowed in Japan."

"You know, I'm sure your father would say the exact same thing."

"Hm."

"Driving like a maniac." Mogi commented.

"Don't lose sight of him." said Yagami.

"Yes." Wedy agreed.

 _What the hell was all that about? It had to be a trap._

"We now end a current broadcast and return you to regular programming. The evening news is next."

 _Programs are over? It didn't end just because I showed up. What the hell is going on?! Ahhhh!_

 _What the ...! Just like I thought. It was a trap! Police cars with tinted windows! So all that stuff of the cops stopping their attempt to get to Kira was a lie! They've been preparing for this!_

"What's happening? I thought we told the police not to get involved with the arrest." Watari wondered.

"The only one who would do this is ..." Light trailed off.

"Aizawa." K nodded.

"Yes, you must be right." L agreed.

"Damn it! That way!" Higuchi turned his car around.

"Stop right there." Watari ordered, and when he didn't, Watari shot the tire of his car.

"Stay back! Stay back, or I'll shoot, I swear!" Higuchi held the gun to his head. BANG! Silena shot the gun out of his hand.

"It's over."

"Yes, it's over."


	26. Revival

"Ryuzaki, please let me go and make the arrest." Yagami requested.

"I'd like to come with you, chief, if that's alright." Aizawa asked.

"I understand. But remember this is Kira. Be sure to take every precaution when you approach him and don't allow him to see your face. Snipers, if Higuchi tries anything or makes any sudden moves ..."

"Understood. I will shoot to stop him not to kill."

"Aizawa, do you have a helmet or something to hide your face with?"

"I do."

"Good. Then cover me."

"Yes, sir! You can count on me, Chief".

"Higuchi! Put your hands above your head and get out of the car." Yagami ordered. "We've apprehended him."

"Mogi, I want you to put a headset onto him as planed." Light commanded.

"Roger."

"Higuchi, how are you able to kill people? Tell me! If you are not going to talk, I'll use whatever means necessary to get it out of you." K threatened.

" ... The notebook." He answered.

"Notebook?" L asked.

"You probably won't believe me but I've got a special notebook. If I write someone's name in it while thinking of their face, that person dies." Higuchi explained.

 _A notebook ..._. "Mr. Yagami." L started.

"Yeah, I found it. It was in one of the compartments of Higuchi's bag. He has written a lot of names in it. But there doesn't seem to be anything else unusual about it, huh? Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Mr. Yagami screamed,

"What is it, Mr. Yagami?" K questioned.

"It's a monster!"

"Please calm down. Don't panic. Remember you're not currently armed to defend yourself."

"Oh, oh, all right, of course."

"Chief, hang in there. Are you alright?" Mogi said concerned.

"Mogi, can't you see that thing over there?!"

"Chief, I think you must be getting tired. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"Mogi, what's wrong?" Light said.

"It, the, thing, it seems only people who have touched the notebook can, can see this, this monster!" Soichiro realized.

"Please bring the notebook over to the helicopter." L requested.

"Oh, eh, OK." Mogi agreed.

 _What in the world are you planning to do, Light Yagami? Once you take hold of that notebook again, all the memories of the Death Note and what you did while it was yours will return at once._

 _However ..._. Rem thought.

"Here is, Ryuzaki."

"Hm. It really is ... a Shinigami. They really ... do ... exist." L muttered as K touched the notebook, seeing Rem. She jumped out of the helicopter wearing a mask, covering the lower half of her face.

"Hello." She said to Rem.

"Greetings, A-" Rem started to reveal K's real name.

"You can call me K, what's your name?"

"You can call me Rem."

Back in the helicopter, Light was growing impatient, "Ryuzaki, come on, let me see!"

 _Two books! There have to be two notebooks! Possibly more! This isn't over yet._ L thought as Light snatched the book out of his hands.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Light screamed as the memories forced themselves back into their places.

"Ah, are you OK, Light? I suppose seeing that monster would surprise anyone."

"Ryuzaki."

"What is it?"

"I wanna check this out. I'm gonna try comparing the names written in this notebook with the names of the victims."

"Hm? Oh, right. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

 _I've won! Exactly as planned._

"I hereby forfeit ownership of this notebook. Now, that means ownership has transferred back to you, right?" Light said.

"Yes. I already told you." Rem sighed.

"Next, pass it onto Ryuk." He instructed.

"Hm? Very well. Here."

"Now, that notebook's ownership has been transferred from you to Ryuk. OK, Ryuk, take the notebook and drop it on the ground so it's in the human world again."

"Huh? Well, OK." The shinigami drops the notebook.

"Now, the ownership goes back to me." Light picked up the book.

"Wow, hang on! It's just gone around in the circle. Nothing's changed, right?" Ryuk asked.

"Maybe." _At first glance. But there will be a time when I'll benefit from this._ Light thought. "Now, as for this notebook, the one I first received, I'm gonna give it back to you, Ryuk.

Then you hand it over to Rem."

"Here."

"Rem, I want you to give the notebook to someone with status who lusts for power and money. They'll end up using the notebook to satisfy that urge. If you do that, I can guarantee that Misa will be released from her confinement soon. And if I'm wrong, then it looks like she won't be released for years, then you can kill me. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Light Yagami, just what are you thinking?"

"Look, this is all to save Misa. You're gonna have to trust me on this."

"Alright. If it means that Misa will be saved, I'll do as you ask." Rem flies off.

"After this, I'll go and demand to be confined like Misa and have them put me under 24-hour surveillance as well. While I'm locked up, I'll relinquish ownership of the notebook to you.

That'll mean I'll lose all my memories of the Death Note. During this time, the killings of criminals will start again. Once that happens, Ryuzaki and Silena would be put in a position where he has to release us. And after I've lost all my memories, chances are I wanna help catch Kira myself. That's just the way I am."

"So then you would try and catch the guy who Rem gives the notebook to, and steal it before L gets to him."

"Right. Once that's done, I'll kill the new owner of the notebook. But there's still one problem remaining."

 _If you don't have full ownership, your memories will only return for as long as you're in contact with the notebook. As soon as you let go of it, your memories will disappear again._

 _That means I've gotta kill Higuchi without letting go of this notebook. If I managed to do that, ownership would transfer back to me and my memories won't disappear. Huh. I just have to pull this 4 times in less than a second. Got it. Just as I expected. I'm wearing this watch. Old habits die hard._ Light smirked.

"Mr. Yagami, please take Higuchi to the car." L ordered.

"Ah, right, of course."

"Huh. You know, about this notebook, I wonder what we would find if we put it through forensic analysis." Light commented.

"That doesn't sound like you, Light. We both know this thing's beyond science."

"Ha, yeah, you're right. Hm. This is gotta be the longest 40 seconds of my life."

"Argh!" Higuchi collapsed onto the ground.

"Ryuzaki, Higuchi is ..." Soichiro started.

"What the hell?! What's happening?!" Light faked.

"Hey, Higuchi!" Mogi said.

"Dad, what're you doing?! We can't lose him! If Higuchi dies on this now, ..." Light lied.

"It's impossible! That, but, there's nothing I can do. He's already ..." Yagami sighed.

 _Yes! He's already dead. And you two next, Ryuzaki and Silena_. Light grinned.

""How to use it." It says "the human whose name is written in this notebook shall die." "This note will not take effect unless the writer has a person's face in their mind when writing his or her name." "Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected." "If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen." "If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack." "After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds." As well, the back cover has some more instructions on how to use it. There are two more rules. One of them is, "If you make this note unusable by tearing it up or burning it, all the humans who have touched the note till then will die."" Aizawa read.

"What?! Is that really true, Aizawa?!" Matsuda gasped.

"Yeah, look at this." Aizawa showed him.

"No way! Why didn't you tell me?!:

"How was I supposed to know ... ..."

 _That's right. With the rule like that in place, the notebook's safety is guaranteed. Which means my memories of it will remain_. Light thought.

"Rem, there is no way the old man back home would get mad at us if we write fake rules in here, is there?" Ryuk asked.

"No, there are no rules against doing so." Rem said.

"Fine then, Light. I'll do it. But you owe me an apple for this. Ha ha ha."

"Oh man, maybe I shouldn't have let my curiosity about seeing a Shinigami get the better of me." Matsuda groaned.

"Maybe. But then you would be the only one in the investigation who didn't know what we were dealing with. Is that what you want?" Soichiro countered.

"Ah, no, of course not. I wanna be on the same page as everyone else on the task force, chief." Matsuda sighed.

"And then, there is this last rule. According to these instructions at the back of the notebook, "If the person using the note fails to consecutively write names of people to be killed within 13 days of each other, then the user will die."" Aizawa read.

"Ah! Wait a second. If that's true, then it means Light and Misa-misa are completely cleared, doesn't it?!" Matsuda pointed out.

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it, that's right! Light and Misa were detained for more than 50 days and are still under surveillance. If either of them had been Kira, there is no way they would still be alive by now." Aizawa nodded.

"Woah! That's great news, isn't it, chief?!" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah." Soichiro smiled.

"Can you pass me the notebook?" Silena said quietly.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Aizawa handed the book to her. She held it ever so delicately to the light. K studied the writing.

 _The writing for the last two rules are lighter than the rest of them. Is it possible that the last two rules are fake?_ She analyzed. "Ryu, I'm gonna go back to my room."

"Alright." He said. "Rem, was it? That's your name, isn't it? The white thing over there?"

"Ryuzaki, isn't it a bit rude to go around calling someone a white thing?" Matsuda asked.

"What do you want?" Rem sighed.

"There's more than one notebook in the human world, isn't there?" L questioned.

"... Who knows. There may be and there may not be." She answered vaguely.

"If there are other notebooks either here or in your world, will they all have the same rules as this one?" L continued.

 _You're wasting your time, Ryuzaki. You'll never get Rem to admit these rules are fake_. Light smiled.

"Yes, they are all the same. There are many notebooks in the Shinigami realm but they all have the same rules, even the rules for one humans obtain them." Rem nodded.

"Ryuzaki, Misa Amane and Light have both been cleared of suspicion. They shouldn't be under surveillance any longer." Aizawa demanded.

"That's right, it's crystal-clear!" Matsuda agreed. Silena sat in her room, watching the monitors while further examining the Death Note. She sighed in frustration. This is what she was worried about. Normal people are so emotional.

"I suppose you are right. ... I understand. And, please accept my apologies for all the trouble." L sighed.

"Thank goodness." Soichiro exasperated.

"Yeah, but, we still can't say that we've solved the case until we've figured out everything.

Would it be alright if I kept investigating with you without the handcuffs on?" Light asked.

"Yes." L agreed.

 _And just like that, Misa and I are proven innocent. A notebook of death filled with rules written by a Shinigami; he has no choice but to believe it. He just lost his edge thanks to the fake rules I created. Listen Ryuzaki, no matter what the world, the God of that world creates the rules. In truth, you have already been defeated by the rules I created. And as punishment for defying the God of the new world, you will die._ Light smirked.

"L, I believe that the last two rules are false. Report to my room if you want to know why I think so." She spoke into a headset, which was connected to an earpiece in L's ear. He quickly excused himself from the conversation.

"Why do you think that they are fake?" L asked.

"Firstly, did you see the look in Light's eyes when Matsuda and Aizawa believed it? Secondly, look at the rules. The last two rules are brighter than the rest. The rest of them are more worn. So either the shinigami who wrote this forgot to write the last two rules, or someone asked them to write them." K explained.

"Oh Light, be sure to text me everyday, OK?" Misa requested.

"Oh, after all this time, we're saying goodbye to Misa-misa." Matsuda whined.

"Knock it off, Matsuda. Let's leave them alone." Aizawa scolded.

"Goodbye Misa-misa!" Matsuda waved.

"Enough!"

 _Good. There are surveillance cameras but they won't be able to pick up my face or mouth from this angle._ Light thought. "Misa, I'm gonna tell you about a special place. I need you to go there and dig something up. But you have to make sure that no one is watching."

 _Light! Your memory must have returned! Don't worry, I can do this. I won't let you down._ Misa smiled.

"Huh! ... Oh, huh." Misa picked up the notebook. _Light, I remember. I remember everything that happened when I had this notebook. You buried this one so I could come here and regain my memories. ...Huh?_

"Dear Misa, By the time you read this letter, you should have remembered everything." The letter read.

 _Oh, a letter from Light._

"Do you remember my friend at Touou University? He went by the name Hideki Ryuga. I want you to write his real name in the notebook and kill him. Then burn this letter right away. Take a number of pages from the notebook and rebury it where you found it. The next time when we see each other, casually touch me with a piece of the notebook. If you do this for me, I promise I will love you for the rest of my life."

 _Yay! Now I see. This is all part of Light's plan! He wanted me to get this notebook, regain all my memories, and then kill Hideki Ryuga; kill Ryuzaki. One of Light's biggest obstacles would be gone. And I'll be helpful to him at last! ... Huh, but Light, it's no good. I don't remember his name anymore. I was seeing dozens, no, no, hundreds of names and life-spans everyday_! Misa thought. "Nooooo! I can't remember it no matter what! Oh, I'm such an idiot!"

"Ah, I've finally returned to the human world!" Ryuk sighed in relief.

"Ryuk! Oh, it's been so long! I'm so glad to see you! How are you doing?!" Misa hugged him.

"Sorry, er. I'm a guy. I get a little shy sometimes."

"Ha ha. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Here! Light told me to bring one for you. Is it really that good?"

"Oh yeah, human apples are, oh what's the word, juicy, I think. They are great anyway. Oh, why don't you try this? An apple from the Shinigami world."

"It doesn't look very good."

"C'mon, one bite won't kill you."

"Mm, by the way, before I forget, I want you to make the eye deal with me." Misa said. "Ick, it's sand!"

"The deal, huh? You understand what that means? You've already made the same deal with Rem once before. Are you sure you really want me to cut your life-span in a half but a second time?"

"I know, but what choice do I have? You see, I forgot the name that I absolutely have to remember. Light would be so mad at me if I let him down."

"Ha, well, it's fine with me."

"Hey, it's Misa-misa! The poor girl. As long as we're stuck in here, we can't turn our cell phones on. So she has to come all the way out here just to hang out with Light." Matsuda sighed.

"Light, would you hurry up and go see her. Don't you know you should never keep a woman waiting." Soichiro teased.

"OK."

 _Hm?! Ryuk! Why is he attached to Misa? ... Huh?! Misa's life-span! It's been halved again! No, did she make the eye deal with Ryuk?!_ Rem thought.

"Hey, Light." She touched him with a piece of the Death Note.

"It's been a while, Ryuk." Light greeted.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Ryuk laughed.

"Light, I'm so sorry. I don't remember Hideki Ryuga's real name. I tried but I totally forgot." Misa started.

"Oh, I see. Well, that's too bad." Light sighed.

"But I did the eye deal with Ryuk so I can try again!" Misa continued.

 _So, everything's going according to plan?_ Ryuk thought.

"You idiot! If you do that, then your life-span would ...!"

"No, it's all right. I just wanna be of use to you, Light."

"Misa, all I want is to enjoy a long life with you in an ideal world. That's just how I feel."

"Light, I'm so happy."

"Let's create the new world together. It'll be a place with no crime where only kind people live, OK?"

"Yeah."


	27. Silence

"Ryuzaki, Silena, is something the matter? What is it? ... Hm? What's wrong?" Watari asked as the two detectives thought about his past.

"Hm, interesting. The corner of the page of this notebook has been torn off. Can you kill someone just by writing their name on a piece?" L asked.

"Can't say. I've never tried using it like that and I don't know of anyone who has." Rem shrugged.

"Then let me ask you, do Gods of death love apples?"

"Not necessarily. You see our internal organs have already degraded - we've evolved to a point where we do not require sustenance."

"Say Light. You are finally free to leave headquarters on your own but it seems like you never go out. Even when Misa comes to visit, you only chat with her for a few minutes outside. You do realize you are free to have a relationship with her now?" K asked.

"That can wait until we've managed to solve this case. I'm not in the mood for love or anything else right now. Anyway, are you suggesting that I'll be a nuisance for staying here?" Light shrugged it off.

"Right now, I'm in no position to continue punishing criminals. That's why I need you to punish them for me. Misa, let's create a new world together." Light said.

"Careful what you do, Cause God is watching your every move, Hold my hand in the dark street, For if you do I know that I'll be safe, Even if I'm far away and alone - I can be sure that you'll find me there, This I know - You draw me close for a while, So quiet - You tell me everything,

If I forget what you say, Then you'll come to me and tell me again, Yes you'd tell me once again - But what happens when I know it all, then what should I do after that? What then?" Misa sang.

"What's going on?! I heard criminals are being killed again!" Soichiro asked.

"There were 16 deaths just yesterday. All of them were broadcast after Higuchi's death." Aizawa reported.

"Immediately after, huh?" Matsuda asked.

"Do you think this could mean that Higuchi wasn't necessarily Kira, after all?" Soichiro hypothesised.

"No. It's safe to say that Higuchi was the one killing criminals until we apprehended him." Light argued.

"Then this means we are dealing with yet ANOTHER Kira..!" Aizawa sighed.

"Awww, man! NOT AGAIN!" Matsuda complained.

"Damn, damn you, Kira!" Light cursed.

 _Another Kira's appeared?! What's going on here?_ L thought.

 _I can't believe this! It has to be Misa!_ Rem realized.

"These killings began as soon as Misa was free, didn't they?" L questioned.

"Ryuzaki, are you still going on about that? She has nothing to do with this! Think about it - this started as soon as Higuchi died!" Light defended.

"Hm, I suppose you are right. Oh well, if there is another notebook floating around out there and someone is now using it to kill criminals, I'll just have to bring that person to justice." L decided.

 _The Shinigami insisted that it didn't know, but if someone were able to kill simply by writing a name on a torn piece of the notebook.._.. _It's not impossible. But there is that rule;_

 _"Whoever writes a name in this notebook has to write another name within 13 days, otherwise they die." Light Yagami and Misa Amane are both still alive. Thirteen days. That's the only problem._

"Ryuzaki, I've been thinking, even if we do manage to catch the person who's been writing names in the notebook, will we really be able to legally convict and punish them for mass homicide?" Light asked.

"What?! Of course we can convict them! This guy's intentionally writing names in the notebook knowing that these people are going to die. Even if we don't plan on publicly acknowledging the notebook, the least we can do is execute the killer!" Matsuda exclaimed.

In the background, Rem stiffened, and from the other room, K smiled as she noticed the Shinigami do so.

"It's not a very humane way to do things, but the higher-ups would probably want to take measures like that." Aizawa nodded.

"If they admit to killing with the notebook, they'll receive the death penalty or life in prison at least." L agreed as he ate, "That's the best they could hope for."

 _What are you thinking, Light Yagami - making Misa kill again?! She'll be caught and once that happens you'll also be - So that's what your plan is. You are truly disgusting. Light Yagami is certain that I would do anything to help Misa and save her life. And at this point, the only way for me to save Misa is to write Ryuzaki's real name in my notebook. And if I kill Ryuzaki, it would mean that I deliberately lengthened Misa's life, and I will die as well._ Rem realized. _Well, I just might be able to fool Light..._

Rem left the room and she headed for K's surveillance room. K slouched back into her chair as the Shinigami fazed through her walls.

"You care for the current Kira, don't you?" K accused.

"How did you-" Rem started.

"You tensed when they were talking about Kira's execution. It's quite obvious actually. The others didn't notice because they were too busy talking."

"Well. I need you to do something."

"What?"

"I need you to burn the Death Note."

"But-"

"That rule is a fake. Light Yagami had his shinigami write down a fake rule."

"Did you just admit that Light is Kira?"

"Yes."

"But why are you telling me this?"

"Because Light wants to use me to kill Ryuzaki and Watari."

"No!" K immediately stood up. "Don't kill them! Please! Kill me instead."

"Why are you so determined to save them?"

"Well... I have a very screwed up childhood. People hated me for my intelligence, and I had no friends. When Watari picked me up from that first orphanage, and when I first met L, they were my motivation to keep going, to be the best I can. Without them, I have no reason to stay alive." K sighed.

"I see, but I have an idea. And with my plan, none of you will die."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to get Ryuzaki with you and to get Light alone. You need to burn the Death Note to wipe all of Misa's memories, and lastly you need to get Ryuk to kill Light."

"Who's Ryuk?"

"Another Shinigami."

"Oh, alright. I got this."

"Thank you, Amira Kitsua."

"Umm, you're welcome. I guess. Thanks Rem." Rem left the room and Amira, or as she's more commonly known as K, was left to formulate a plan.

Rain pours down onto the silhouettes standing there. L was standing with K in his arms. It was almost as if she fainted.

"What are you two doing standing out there by yourselves?" Light asked. L cupped his ears, not able to hear him.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING STANDING OUT THERE BY YOURSELVES?!" Light yelled. L beckons Light to come forward.

"What are you two doing?" Light sighed.

"The bells. The bells are keeping me up." Silena muttered.

"Hmm? The bell" Light asked.

"Yes. The sound of the bell has been unusually loud today." L explained.

"Hmm. I don't hear anything." Light asked.

"Really? You can't hear it? It's been ringing nonstop all day. I find it very distracting. I wonder if it's a church - maybe a wedding or, perhaps a..." L trailed off.

"Where are you getting that, Ryuzaki? Come on, cut it out! Let's get back inside." Light offered.

".. I'm sorry. Nothing I say makes any sense anyway. If I were you, I wouldn't believe any of it." L shrugged.

"I would." Silena murmured.

"..Hmm? You know, you're totally right. Honestly, most the things you say sound like complete nonsense. There would be no end to my troubles if I actually took you seriously all the time.

I probably know that better than anyone." Light laughed.

"Yes. I would say that's a fair assessment. But.. I could say the same about you." L shrugged.

"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tell me, Light; From the moment you were born, has there ever been a point where you'd actually told the truth?"

"... Where is this coming from, Ryuzaki? I do admit I stretch the truth here and there. However, find me one person in this world who's never had to tell a lie. It wouldn't be easy. Human beings just aren't made to be perfect like that. Everybody lies from time to time. Even so, I've always made a conscious effort to be careful not to tell a lie that could hurt others. That's my answer."

"... I had a feeling you'd say something like that. Let's go back inside. We're both drenched."

"Yeah."

"Well, that was certainly an unpleasant outing..!" Silena sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"It's your own fault. I mean, what did you expect?" Light retorted.

"You're right. Sorry." She sighed.

"Huh? What are you doing?!" Light gasped when Silena grabbed his foot.

"I thought I might help you out. You were busy wiping yourself off, anyway." Silena shrugged.

"L-Look, it's fine! You don't have to do that!"

"Okay, whatever you say."

"It'll be lonely, won't it?" L brought up suddenly.

"Hm?" Light asked.

"You and I will be parting ways soon." L smiled faintly.

"What?" Light questioned.

"L and I will go one way, you will go another." Silena explained.

"Huh..." Light contemplated.

"It's pretty simple actually. Some will win and some will lose. It's just a matter of who will die."

"What? Some of us are going to die?" Light gapped.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Light." Silena pushed him against a wall. "Or should I call you by your alter ego, Kira."

"Come on Silena, I've already proved I'm not Kira. The rules prove my innocence." Light smiled.

"Stop trying Light Yagami, they know the rules are fake." Rem flew through the wall, followed by Ryuk.

"You told them!" Light screamed. "I thought this was about protecting Misa?"

"Misa is fine. She won't be here to save you." L said.

"Her memory is gone." K smiled. "She doesn't know who you are."

"What?" Light yelled.

"It's been fun, Light, but I don't want to stick around for your trial." Ryuk shrugged. "This is where it ends."

"I hate you!" Light charged at Silena. She pulled out her pistol and fired three rounds into him.

"Goodbye Light Yagami." Ryuk wrote the two words that sealed his face.

"It's finally over." K wrapped her arms around L. "We're done."

"Farewell you two." Rem flew away. Ryuk grabbed an apple and followed her.

"Goodbye." L said.

 _It's over._

 **Hi Guys. Thanks for sticking around so long. This took me about 3-4 months to finish. I'm grateful for everyone who read the whole thing. There still is an epilogue after this. Please feel free to ask me anything about Amira Kitsua (K). I know that most of you are annoyed at me for taking so long to reveal her name. Sorry about that. Ah well. Until next time.**

 **~DaughterOfDeathe**


	28. Epilogue

_The Kira case was finally over, with Light dead. The Yagami household still doesn't know Light was Kira. They were informed that Light died fighting Kira, but he managed to bring Kira down with him. It seemed like that justice finally prevailed._ K thought.

"Hey K." L waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? What?" K snapped out of her daze.

"It looks like we can finally move on to a new case."

"Yeah. I guess. I missed working with you, L." She let a shred of emotion through, wanting to see how L would react.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Which case now?"

"I don't know. Which one has either a million dollars at stake, or ten people dead?"

"None. Kira lowered crime rates so damn low. I'm bored."

"Maybe we start something new." L stood up and walked over to her.

"What are you doing?" Even though she was 75% sure of what he was going to do. L tried to get down on one knee, but he fell over for the lack of balance. She tried to hold in her laughter.

"K. You are the only friend I've ever had. I don't know what exactly is love, but I believe the closest thing I've felt to love is with you. Amira Kitsua, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" L proposed, and for once, he had emotion in his voice.

"Yes. I will marry you. You are the only friend I've ever had, the only one who understands what it's like to be in the shadows. I love you." She smiled and lightly kissed his cheek. "Do you realize that neither of us had ever been in a relationship? This is both our first and our last, my darling." She whispered in his ear.

"I'm the happiest man alive." L said sarcastically as he slipped the diamond ring on her finger.

"I'm glad." She rolled her eyes.

"Holy crap. This is happening." Amira muttered. It was the day before her wedding to Lawliet. "Oh well."

"Oy! Bitch!" Mello yelled. "I want to go already."

"Fine. Stop being so damn dramatic." She rolled her eyes.

"Get in the car!" Matt shouted at her.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." Mello sighed as he grabbed his bouquet of flowers.

"Neither can I." Matt groaned.

"At least she didn't force us to wear dresses." Near commented.

"Gamer-boy! Help me zip my dress." Amira called Matt over.

"Why does it matter? The dress is coming off tonight anyway." Matt said.

"Shut the hell up and just help me." Amira pointed a gun at the redhead.

"Okay. Fine." Matt zipped up the wedding dress.

"I still can't believe that Lawliet spent seven weeks deciding the design of the cake." Amira muttered.

"Well that's the man you're spending the rest of your life with." Mello commented.

"I know. Oy! Sheep-boy! Get me my straightener." Amira commanded.

"How am I supposed to know what that looks like?" Near sighed.

"Don't act like you don't have one. You know I've been in your room right?" She shot back.

"Fine." He handed her the straightener.

Five more hours of K screaming orders at the three boys, and it was finally time. She slipped on her signature black stilettos and looked in front of the mirror. She was wearing a mermaid styled wedding dress. It had a sweetheart neckline. Her long black hair framed her face. The justice scale necklace still hung from her neck. _Lawliet gave me that necklace all those years ago. I'm getting married to him today._

"Amira. It's time." Watari said. He was to be walking her down the aisle, for her father was never in the picture.

"Okay." She nodded. "Are the boys already there?"

"Yes." Watari confirmed. "I still don't understand how you convinced them to be the bridesmaids.

"Threats. A lot of them." She smiled as he led her through the victorian castle they borrowed for the wedding. They arrived in front of the doors that lead to her husband-to-be. The guards on both sides opened the doors and they walked in. Music played in the background as Amira walked up the aisle as the kids from the Wammy's House watched. Near, Matt, and Mello were standing on the bride's side, each holding a bouquet of flowers, and the task force were acting as the groomsmen. L, the one person she loved in that way, was in a suit. _How many people did it take to convince him to wear that?_ She wondered.

As if knowing what she thought, L replied, "One, you're enough to convince me."

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this beautiful day to witness the union of Amira and Lawliet in holy matrimony. This is a day of great celebration and reverence, on which we come together before before God to recognize and commemorate the sacred love and dedication shared between these two people. It is wonderful to have family and friends here to join us today. The bride and groom would like to thank their guests for being here, and would like you to know that each of you were invited here on this day because you have played an integral part in their intertwining lives. As the Bible reminds us in Corinthians, _"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails."_

In the time that Amira and Lawliet have spent together, they've built the sturdy foundation for a lifelong relationship. After a great deal of thoughtful consideration, they have decided to bind themselves to one another for the rest of their lives. May you all remember and cherish this sacred ceremony, for on this day, with love, we will forever bind Amira and Lawliet together." The minister started. "Who gives this bride today?"

"I do." Watari stepped forward.

"If there is anyone in attendance who has cause to believe that this couple should not be joined in marriage, you may speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Marriage is a sacred ceremony. Today we observe the union of these two people with the respect the occasion warrants. What we honor with reverence, however, we also celebrate with great joy! For married life – a shared life – is a tremendous blessing. Now, as Amira and Lawliet embark on this journey together, they will be able to nurture a love that makes each of them better versions of themselves. Marriage is, indeed, the perfect garden from which to sow and harvest personal growth. Amira and Lawliet, learn to work together, to laugh together, and to love together. Don't get caught up in worldly things that will draw you apart. Instead, focus on your shared devotion and turn inward. As your relationship strengthens you will find that you come to share a remarkable love; a love that is both abundantly given and freely accepted. The joy you'll find as you pursue your shared lives will fuel you to face head-on the challenges you'll encounter on this Earth. On your journeys together, keep your spouse in the space of highest priority in your heart. The love you share must be guarded and cherished, it is your most valuable treasure."

"Under the eyes of God, I solemnly consecrate these matrimonial proceedings and the sacred covenant you shall both enter into on this day. Marriage is an ancient rite. As you enter into this union, you are choosing to take part in a historical human establishment and are pledging your commitment before the witnesses present here today to enter into that tradition with honor. As Jesus said: _"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,"_ he also taught that, _"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."_ "

"Amira and Lawliet, the sacred vows that you make to one another today present you with the opportunity to express your love in your own words. I would at this time invite you to publically declare these vows: Amira, you may begin."

"I, Amira, take you, Lawliet, for my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow." She smiled.

"Lawliet, you may now make your promise."

"I, Lawliet, take you, Amira, for my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, until death do us part. This is my solemn vow."

"Amira and Lawliet please face one another and join hands. Under the eyes of God, Amira, do you take Lawliet to be your lawfully wedded husband? By making this commitment, you are joining in the sacred covenant of marriage. Do you promise to honor him in love, to be sensitive to his needs, to comfort him in difficulty, and to put your full and complete trust in him, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Under the eyes of God, Lawliet, do you take Amira to be your lawfully wedded wife? By making this commitment, you are joining in the covenant of marriage. Do you promise to honor her in love, to be sensitive to her needs, to comfort her in difficulty, and to put your full and complete trust in her, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Very well. To commemorate this union, you may now exchange rings. The circle formed by each ring symbolizes your eternal love and commitment to one another. Let these rings remind you always of that love, and of the promises you have made here on this day. Will each of you please repeat after me as you place the ring on your loved one's hand?"

"I, Amira, give you Lawliet this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."

"I, Lawliet, give you Amira this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me, by the Universal Life Church and by the church of England, I pronounce you, Amira and Lawliet as wife and husband, lawfully wedded before God."

"Lawliet, you may now kiss the bride, forever sealing your union." L closed the space between the two of them, their lips meeting in mid air. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you Mrs. Amira Kitsua and Mr. L Lawliet!"

The newlywed detectives smiled for the first time in years as they walked away from the altar.

And they lived happily ever-

"Eh. I honestly couldn't care less. I'll leave all that sentimental crap to you humans." Ryuk bit down on an apple.


	29. AN 2

Ok, so I know I'm the shittiest author imaginable and even though I wrote this story ahead of time, I couldn't post a chapter per week. Yes, I know, I suck at life. But regardless, I just decided to post the last four chapters in a row, cause like might as well. Anyways, that's this book done, but I think I have like a few really short scenarios that are based off of this world, so if anyone wants me to post those, I'll be more than happy to, and does anyone want to see my planning pages? I don't know. I think I still have them, so I can put them onto this book if anyone wants.


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